Pearl School
     Like all women, Marie loved pearls and cake. In her day, the only pearls available were natural pearls. They were so rare and expensive that only the noble and very rich could afford them. Only 1 in 20,000 oysters contains a natural pearl. That's a lot of shucking!

     Natural Pearls: We like to think of the formation of a natural pearl as a "natural pregnancy." Oysters and mussels secrete crystals of calcium carbonate, which is called mother-of-pearl if it coats the inside of its shell and nacre if it covers an intruding irritant. The inside of an oyster is very delicate and cannot tolerate anything sharp that might invade its flesh. The oyster coats the abrasive intruder with nacre making the foreign particle smooth and tolerable. Thus a natural pearl is conceived.

     Cultured Freshwater Pearls: We like to think of these pearls as a result of "artificial insemination" as they're created with human intervention and perhaps a turkey baster. Around 1900, a process was developed where an oyster is injected with an irritant, usually a piece of mantle tissue or shell particle from a fellow oyster, in order to provoke the mollusk to secrete nacre to form a pearl. Less than one half of these "fertilized" oysters actually conceive a pearl.

     Oyster Shell Pearls: At Pearls and Cake, we think of this pearl birthing process as "invitro-fertilization" or the "octomom method" because it involves considerable human assistance. The process of making an oyster shell pearl was only perfected a few years ago and has several stages. First, the base of the pearl is formed from the raw material of the oyster shell which is coated and polished to its final shape. In order to produce a good quality pearl, a key ingredient is this mother-of-pearl bead. This element adds weight, value and durability to the pearl. Then the pearl is coated with a "batter" of mother-of-pearl which can be dyed to produce luxurious colors and then is once again shaped and polished.

     Shell pearls are an excellent choice for many reasons. They're less expensive than natural pearls but because they're partially man-made, they can be perfectly round with a luster equal to natural pearls. The shell pearl will always keep its shine and color and will not be affected by sweat, perfume or detergents. And they're available in a whole new range of colors and shapes which are not found in cultured pearls. In fact, the materials used to make shell pearls are the same materials from which cultured pearls are made.

     Tahitian, South Sea, Saltwater Pearls: All terms used interchangeably with Natural Pearls

     Blister Pearls: These are naturally formed when the oyster covers a hole on the inside surface of its shell. We call it a "baby bump."

     Mabe Pearls: These look like blister pearls but involve human intervention. A tiny dome shaped irritant is placed against the oyster's shell and a sphere of mother-of-pearl is formed.

     Keshi Pearls: These flat, organic shaped pearls are the second pearl an oyster forms after it has a permanent indentation from the first pearl. They're also made after a freshwater oyster expels the injected irritant but continues to form nacre.

     Coin Pearls: A circular and flat pearl created by using a disc shaped irritant.
2212 W. Roscoe
Chicago, Illinois
(773) 857-7325
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: By Appointment Only
Wednesday: 11:00am to 7:00pm
Thursday: Closed
Friday: 11:00am to 7:00pm
Saturday: 11:00am to 7:00pm
Sunday: 12:00pm to 5:00pm

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Our Recent News
We're now open Mondays!
Our summer hours include being open Mondays from 12:00 to 6:00. Shop with us on Mondays during July and receive 10% off your purchase of any of our beautiful pearl necklaces.
Posted on 02 Jun 2010 by cherie
New! Gossip Girl Jewelry!!
Pearls and Cake isn't just about pearls anymore! We are now carrying beauitful pieces from the jewelry designers for Gossip Girl: Tova, Jules Smith, Tuleste Market, Susan Hanover, Alex & Ani, Ettika, Amrita Singh, Rachel Leigh and more! AND they're all 50% OFF the retail price!
Posted on 12 Feb 2010 by cherie