The pearl is considered the world's first gem. Unlike diamonds and other precious stones, pearls require no cutting or polishing to reveal their beauty.

Pinctada Pearls works with the best pearls in the world - South Sea Pearls, mothered by the wild pearl oysters Pinctada maxima and Pinctada margaritifera.

South sea pearls are graded by shape, size, colour, lustre, nacre thickness and surface condition.

Lustre is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing pearls. Lustre is the soul of the pearl, and refers to the crystallized nacre's reflection of light. The more crystallized the nacre, the better the luster.

A good lustre indicates that the pearl has been formed with a thick coating of nacre. South Sea Pearls have up to 100 times the nacre thickness of either Japanese or Freshwater pearls ensuring they will last for generations.

The colour of the pearl is determined by the environment the oyster is growing in, the purity and temperature of the water, the tides, the nutrients the oyster is feeding on, and the proximity of the growing pearl to the darker lipped edge of the oyster.

It is difficult for the oyster to grow a perfectly round pearl. The pearl is formed inside the soft body of the oyster and must move freely so nacre can evenly and uniformly coat the nucleus. If the oyster lies on it's side for too long, the pearl shape will become irregular.

The Pinctada oysters are the largest pearl producing oysters in the world and produce the largest of all pearls, ranging in size from 9mm up to 20mm in diameter.

Slight pitting on the surface of the pearl, which is not uncommon is caused by the movement and growth of the pearl as it develops inside the oyster. The cleaner the surface of the pearl, the rarer the pearl and therefore the more valuable.

Pinctada is now also introducing to its rare and unusual jewellery collection, a wonderful selection of Californian Abalone Mabe jewellery pieces