Pearls are the only gemstones that are produced by living organisms. They are produced in soft tissues of a living mollusk, better known as oysters. Pearls are formed when some kind of small object or irritant, typically a parasite becomes embedded in the oyster. As a result the oyster secretes nacre, chemically known as Calcium Carbonate or Conchiolin. This nacre builds up in layers and surrounds the irritant which eventually leads to the formation of a pearl.

Now that you know how pearls are formed you need to know the various types of pearls.

Pearls are categorized into 4 types:

.Akoya Pearls

.Tahitian Pearls

.Fresh Water Pearls

.South Sea Pearls

In order to buy a perfect pearl, you need to be acquainted with its quality and measure. When buying a pearl, you must check for its luster, nacre, color, shape and size.

Luster: It refers to the amount of light reflected by the surface of the pearl. More the luster better is the pearl quality.

Size: It generally varies depending on the type of pearl you choose i.e. Akoya, south Sea or Tahitian. This is because South Sea pearls and Tahitian pearls can go up to 13mm in size.

Shape: In accordance to their shapes, pearls are popularly categorized into Symmetrical (oval), Spherical (round) and Baroque (irregular in shape) Pearls.

Color: Pearls are available in a variety of colors. The popular pearl colors are white, cream, pink, lilac, silver, gold and black pearls.

Nacre: Nacre is the natural substance produced by the pearl to protect its sensitive flesh from irritants such as shell fragments or implanted beads. Generally, thicker the nacre higher is the pearl quality.

When it comes to quality, pearls are measured as A, AA, AA+ and AAA; where A is the lowest quality and AAA is the highest.

After this crash course on pearls, we are sure you will not be fooled. Always remember to buy your pearls from a reputed jeweler. So go ahead and buy that pearl jewelry for your special woman today!