Are you fond of pearl Indian design jewelry pieces? Learn about the varieties of pearl Indian designs and their creation…
Pearls are a mesmerizing and elegant gifts from the sea used to create unique jewelry. Often considered the queen of the sea, pearls signify dignity, inner purity and affluence. They are similar in look and charm to the moon and even though not a mineral, pearls are considered an important gem in Indian jewelry design.
Origin of Natural Pearls
Pearls are formed naturally by oysters in an unmatched natural feat. When an external particle enters the oyster shell, it irritates the lining of the oyster flesh and if the oyster cannot remove it, then it starts to secrete thin layers of necre and calcium carbonate onto the foreign particle.
This secretion continues for 3 to 7 years and eventually a pearl is created. Indian pearls are available in the natural form in beautiful colors which are creamy white, shiny black with glistening tinges of yellow along with such amazing hues like pink, light brown, pale blue, crimson red and green. The pearls from the Persian Gulf are considered the most precious and are rosy pink in color.
Different Types of Pearls
There are basically three types of pearls available in the world today – the natural pearls, the cultured pearls and the semi-cultured pearls. The pearls that the oyster makes are classified as natural pearls which are not perfect when it comes to the shape. Cultured pearls are produced when the irritant is placed inside an oyster by a human being to grow the pearl and farm the oysters to harvest the pearls. The pearl Indian design of jewelry is generally created out of natural and cultured pearls.
The semi-cultured pearls are those which look like pearls but are also created out of materials like plastic and glass. These are commonly known as mother of pearls on a commercial and retail level. Until the early 20th century only natural pearls were used but with the creation of the technique of farming cultured Pearls, especially in Japan, these pearls were incorporated in jewelry designs across the world.
Pearls in Indian Jewelry Designs
To create pearl Indian jewelry design is a very intricate process which can be done by exceptionally skilled craftsmen. The process of grading the pearl is done manually as it is a fragile gem. The pearls are pierced with a needle either in a horizontal or vertical slant and this technique demands a high degree of precision otherwise the pearl tends to snap or have an uneven hole running through it.
These pearls are then categorized according to the color and slightly muddy colored pearls are bleached with hydrogen peroxide. Finally they are graded according to color, shape, size and variety and strung together in gold or silk strings. These are then sold to jewelry manufacturers who incorporate them into intricate designs for rings, necklaces and bangles along with the brooch, pendant and bangles.
The pearls are often combined with other gems and traditional Indian designs incorporate them in the form of chokers which sit high on the neck or long strings that flow down to the waist in multiples of three, five or seven strings with a pendant in the center of each string.
