The Beauty of the Ocean
With summer upon us, we wanted to explore the bounty of jewelry items that come from the ocean. We’ll check out treasures grown in marine life and even diamonds!
- Pearls: Once the more treasured gems in the world, natural pearls are formed when something irritating, like a bit of sand, enters a mollusk’s soft tissues. To protect itself, the mollusk secretes nacre (Mother of Pearl) to protect itself. Over time, the layers of nacre build up and form a pearl. Natural pearls are very rare, less than 1 in 10,000 wild mollusk’s will produce a pearl and most are not of gem quality. Humans have solved for this with cultured pearls which are created with human assistance – a small bead is inserted into a mollusk to create the secretion of nacre.
- Mother of Pearl: Known for its natural shimmer and durability, Mother of Pearl is the material that lines the inside of shells, also known as nacre. It is used in jewelry, home décor items and accessories.
- Coral: Created from the skeletons of marine polyps, coral is known for its porcelain like luster and warm, vibrant colors. It is often used in carved cameos and bead necklaces. Colors range from deep red to pale pink. Many jewelers no longer use natural coral due to its slow growth and how threatened it is due to over-harvesting, pollution and climate change. When purchasing, consider jewelers who repurpose antique coral or use sustainably harvested sources.
- Marine Diamonds: These natural gems are sourced from the ocean floor. They were originally washed into the Atlantic Ocean from inland deposits via rivers. They are found off the coast of Namibia and South Africa. An interesting fact is that the ocean sifts out the weaker gems, leaving diamonds that are very pure, hard and high-quality.
Love all things ocean or summer related? Stop in to Bridgewaters and find your next summer piece!