Pearls are a girl's best friend ?
Much easier to produce than diamonds, pearls still have had their fair share of shady reputation because they are born in the heart of a
living organism. Typically, a pearl would only occur naturally 1 in about 10000 oysters.
Freshwater or saltwater pearls started to be cultivated in the 1900s in Japan, which democratised the access to a very rare and natural gemstone. Since they originate from living oysters and mussels, they are not considered vegan. Nowadays it is rarer to find entire necklaces made of pearl as this used to be a status symbol for the high society in the past centuries, and so a lot of necklaces struggle to find an owner.
The thing about pearls is that they have to be worn in order to preserve their lustre. They typically dry out when stored away from the skin for long periods of times, as they thrive best in moist environments.
To take care of one of our jewellery pieces, you can use a soft cloth with water only if necessary, then dry them and store them separately to other jewellery (as in not touching other jewellery pieces). Pearls are very sensitive to perfume and spraying chemicals should be avoided around them, this includes any hair spray etc...
Because we believe in preserving biodiversity and diminish the exploitation of living organisms, we source most of our pearls from vintage or unwanted jewellery, or if we cannot find appropriate gemstones, from traceable suppliers.
We hope you enjoy your jewellery, and to have learned a bit more about this fascinating product of nature !