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| Saturday, 13-Nov-2010 03:40 |
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Pearl Jewelry - The Story of Pearl Hunters
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As long as pearl jewelry have been known to people, they have been a highly sought commodity for their beauty. It's only in recent times however that the industry has taken the hunt for the perfect pearl to a whole different level. Today, the shiny orbs that we see on in display in jewelry stores have actually almost always been grown in farms.
That's a far cry from the dangerous extraction and collection methods used before the invention of modern technology. In the past, not more than 100 years ago, the only way to retrieve pearls was by diving in lakes, floods and the ocean to pick them up, one at the time. The unfortunate divers who'se job it was to do this, were often poor and lured by the relative large sums they could get. The diver would sometimes have to dive as deep as 100 feet on one single breath of air. In order to preserve air and to stay submerged the longest, the divers would hold on to heavy stones on the way down.
Naturally, this dangerous activity was reserved for the desperate or the powerless - in many cases slaves or extremely poor peasents. Today, this method is all but obsolete in most places of the world. The cheaper cultured pearls have become popular and are many times the only pearls available to the consumer.
There are however still a few isolated areas that practice this old art of pearl diving. Some of the finest natural pearl speciments come from the gulf of Bahrain. Here, divers still risk their health to retrieve what are considered the top of the crop in the world. In fact, Bahrain wants no part of the sale of cultured pearls, banned from trade. Bahrain is one of the few places on earth that does an active job in trying to preserve the natural habitat and waters from pollution.
It's an interesting story and one that continues to fascinate buyers around the world. Somehow, the beauty of the pearl grows when it's been retrieved from the depth of the ocean.
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| Saturday, 13-Nov-2010 03:37 |
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Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
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Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.
Pearls
Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.
Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.
Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre.
A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.
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| Tuesday, 9-Nov-2010 00:40 |
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Pearl Jewelry - The Story of Pearl Hunters
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|
As long as pearl jewelry have been known to people, they have been a highly sought commodity for their beauty. It's only in recent times however that the industry has taken the hunt for the perfect pearl to a whole different level. Today, the shiny orbs that we see on in display in jewelry stores have actually almost always been grown in farms.
That's a far cry from the dangerous extraction and collection methods used before the invention of modern technology. In the past, not more than 100 years ago, the only way to retrieve pearls was by diving in lakes, floods and the ocean to pick them up, one at the time. The unfortunate divers who'se job it was to do this, were often poor and lured by the relative large sums they could get. The diver would sometimes have to dive as deep as 100 feet on one single breath of air. In order to preserve air and to stay submerged the longest, the divers would hold on to heavy stones on the way down.
Naturally, this dangerous activity was reserved for the desperate or the powerless - in many cases slaves or extremely poor peasents. Today, this method is all but obsolete in most places of the world. The cheaper cultured pearls have become popular and are many times the only pearls available to the consumer.
There are however still a few isolated areas that practice this old art of pearl diving. Some of the finest natural pearl speciments come from the gulf of Bahrain. Here, divers still risk their health to retrieve what are considered the top of the crop in the world. In fact, Bahrain wants no part of the sale of cultured pearls, banned from trade. Bahrain is one of the few places on earth that does an active job in trying to preserve the natural habitat and waters from pollution.
It's an interesting story and one that continues to fascinate buyers around the world. Somehow, the beauty of the pearl grows when it's been retrieved from the depth of the ocean.
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| Tuesday, 9-Nov-2010 00:36 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
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Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
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Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.
Pearls
Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.
Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.
Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre.
A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.
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| Friday, 30-Oct-2009 02:01 |
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'Formidable'
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Calling the league "the most formidable youth political organisation, not only in South Africa, but also in the entire continent and the world", Shivambu said its "fearlessness, vibrancy and sterling silver jewelry unmitigated focus to akoya pearl development" set it apart.
"The ANC Youth League continues to inspire hope to many South Africans."
Zuma made headlines when he sang Malema's praises in Limpopo on Sunday.
"Some of us are no longer young, and when we go across the mountain in terms of age, we are happy that when we go on, the organisation will remain in real hands of wish pearl gift set [those] who will think about the biwa pearl people," Zuma reportedly said.
"The ANC recognises talent and leadership and we give people an opportunity.
"Julius has illustrated that he is indeed a good leader and that he understands the people," said Zuma.
He was speaking in Malema's hometown of pearl jewelry Seshego, where the youth league leader had helped to build a house and a church.
Zuma asked the congregation to pray for Malema "not to falter along the freshwater pearl earrings way, because here you have a leader in the making".
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| Friday, 30-Oct-2009 02:00 |
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Eskom in $3bn World Bank talks
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Johannesburg - Power utility Eskom will halve its R40bn debt shortfall - which includes the proceeds of three years of proposed tariff increases - if talks with the World Bank for a freshwater pearl jewelry R23bn ($3bn) loan agreement unveiled on pearl jewelry Tuesday are successful.
Speaking to news agency I-Net Bridge, director-general of the National Treasury Lesetja Kganyago said "alternatives [were] taking place" in respect of Eskom's financing plans. It was easier for Eskom to approach the World Bank than government, he said.
Lesetja was responding to a question on whether government was looking to sterling silver jewelry alternatives to raise money rather than saturating the local capital market.
Interestingly, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan did not mention plans to finance Eskom's R40bn shortfall in his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement released to biwa pearl parliament on Tuesday.
Gordhan conceded that this meant the akoya pearl shortfall would have to freshwater pearl jewelry be recovered from the staggering price increases demanded by the state electricity provider. "There is no new money," he said.
Eskom stunned South African consumers earlier in October when plans for three price hikes over the next three years were leaked.
Eskom made an application to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to approve the increases, the first of which will become effective in April. Nersa has already permitted Eskom to increase this year's price by 31.3%.
Eskom said the hike would be an average nominal 42.8% or 45% over three years when purchases from some independent power producers were included.
Kganyago said a number of alternatives to cultured pearl jewelry tapping local markets had been considered ahead of opening talks between Eskom and the World Bank, including export credit agencies. Eskom has a facility for $2bn with the African Development Bank, said Kganyago.
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| Friday, 30-Oct-2009 01:58 |
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Edit Post
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Gordhan said the treasury was deeply concerned about the impact of the Eskom price hikes on households and businesses, and would continue to look for turquoise jewelry alternative ways to find more funding for the power utility and reduce pressure on consumers.
The adjusted MTBPS sees public enterprises receiving a funding boost to pay the debts of national carrier SA Airways (SAA), as well as the penalty incurred by arms manufacturer Denel in its controversial Airbus contract.
The department converted a guaranteed loan of R1.56bn to SAA into equity to wish pearl gift set reduce the struggling national carrier's debt, which means it spent about 85% more in the first half of this year compared to last year.
SAA was given the loan in February when former finance minister Trevor Manuel tabled his last budget.
Gordhan allocated an additional R191.9m to state-owned Denel Saab Aerostructures for a penalty relating to a contract under which the multi-strand necklaces South African military would acquire eight A400M Airbus heavy-lifter freight planes.
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| Friday, 30-Oct-2009 01:57 |
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Concern for consumers1
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It stems from Denel's failure to meet performance targets as part of the deal.
A massive joint European manufacturing project to freshwater pearl pendant launch the A400M - the akoya pearl world's biggest military aircraft - has been dogged by problems, with major partners like Britain threatening to pull out because of delays and soaring costs.
Armscor CEO Sipho Thomo told parliament in October that buying eight of the aircraft would cost South Africa R47bn, compared to the R17bn estimated in 2005 when the deal was inked.
Gordhan said the provision to cover the penalty was no indication of cultured freshwater pearl any firm commitment by government to biwa pearl go ahead with the deal.
A decision would be taken by cabinet in the next few weeks, he added.
The new finance minister said there was no policy decision to privatise troubled state-owned enterprises. Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan had hinted at this earlier in the freshwater pearl pendant year, which earned her a pearl jewelry stinging rebuke.
"The p-word has not been used," he said.
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| Friday, 30-Oct-2009 01:51 |
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Drunk driver 'lucky to be alive'
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Cape Town - A plumber who took to the road with a blood-alcohol level of 0.35% after a party, was "lucky to be alive", the Bishop Lavis Magistrate's Court heard on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Colleen de Louw said Selwin Madden's blood count was more than seven times the limit.
This was the worst drunken driving case she pearl jewelry had akoya pearl necklace encountered in her seven years as a prosecutor, De Louw said.
Madden, 45, of Bonteheuwel on the Cape Flats, was fined R8 000 or 400 days in prison. He pleaded guilty to driving with a blood-alcohol level above the 0,05% limit.
De Louw had called for a jail sentence, citing a biwa pearl previous drunk driving conviction in 1997.
However, Magistrate Paul Louw said he would give Madden "a second cultured freshwater pearl chance". He warned him he would not get a third.
He also declined the prosecutor's request to suspend the plumber's driver's license, saying Madden needed it to get to and from work.
Through his lawyer, Madden said he had had a lot to akoya pearl drink at the party, and afterwards had to drive his young son to hospital.
Half the fine was conditionally suspended for twisted pearl necklace five years, leaving Madden with a R4 000 fine to pay, or face 200 days in prison.
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