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Cultured pearls and mother-of-pearl for creating costume jewelry

France Perles, a wholesaler of cultured pearls, offers you a wide selection of quality cultured pearls for jewelry creation. You will find freshwater cultured pearls, Tahitian pearls, Australian (South Sea) pearls, and Akoya pearls, as well as a variety of quality mother-of-pearl, such as Abalone mother-of-pearl, Queen conch (Conch), or pink, yellow, gray, or white mother-of-pearl.
The cultured pearl is considered a precious component for women's jewelry as well as men's jewelry. Discover our quality pearls to create your bracelets, necklaces, and earrings with cultured pearls.

What is a cultured pearl?

The cultured pearl is produced by mollusks, particularly the pearl oyster. When an irritating object is introduced into its shell, the mollusk reacts by covering the object layer by layer to protect itself, and this coating is called mother-of-pearl, the main component of the cultured pearl.
Cultured pearls can be freshwater or saltwater. Freshwater pearls are the most commonly found on the market, possessing a variety of colors (white, mauve, salmon, gray, etc...), and are produced by freshwater oysters. The diversity of colors is due to specific treatments for these types of pearls. While saltwater pearls come from seawater oysters, which are rarer and more expensive, such as Akoya, Tahitian, or South Sea pearls.

What is mother-of-pearl?

Mother-of-pearl is an inner layer of mollusk shells. It is formed of thin layers of aragonite, a crystalline calcium carbonate, alternating with organic layers of conchiolin, a fibrous protein, generally white or pink in color. Mother-of-pearl is known for its iridescent luster and shimmering color, making it highly sought after for making jewelry and decorative objects.

Each pearl is unique, size and color may vary from piece to piece.

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