Jul 31 2008
Finding an Antique Pearl Pendant
» Escrito en Events, Other, Singles por HankWilliams a las 23:45Finding an Antique Pearl Pendant
Historians say the pearl must have been the first gem treasured by humans. Before people had the tools to cut and polish rocks, they knew of the luminous pearl to be found in mussels in both fresh and salt water.
The mussel is an animal protected by two hard shells that it opens and closes to move or feed. Sometimes, a small particle of debris gets stuck in the mussels body and irritates it. The mussel cannot expel the irritant, so it secretes a substance called nacre to coat the offending particle. Nacre is the same material that lines the inside of the shell: mother-of-pearl.
Though there are thousands of species of mussels that can produce pearls, in nature, only one pearl might be produced in a colony of thousands of mussels. Therefore, most pearls today are cultured pearls. That is, farmers raise mussels in undersea beds and implant each of them with a little seed, which, some of the time, results in a pearl.
But Why Antique?
In as much as a pearl comes from an animal, demand for pearls often hurts the animal population. Freshwater pearl farmers for example, often take mussels from the wild to put on their farms. Thus, another animal is removed from the ecosystem. Real antique pearls were harvested years ago and cause no new strain on the environment.
Besides that, an antique pearl pendant is often of fine quality, made before pearls were artificially dyed and when jewelry was made by craftsmen. Who knows whose neck it has graced and the history it has seen?
On the high end of the market, a pearl fancier recently scooped up a necklace with a pearl pendant at a Sothebys auction for almost $100,000. Lower-priced Sothebys auctions for pearl pendant jewelry will run about $500.
So let us try eBay. If youre dealing with a reputable online dealer, you can find excellent merchandise at reasonable prices. Even with a similar pearl pendant, the eBay price finishes lower because it sells to a different market segment. A nice quality antique pearl pendant can start as low as $50 and top out about $500, but be sure your dealer has a good reputation. It is awful to receive the object of your online auction and find it to be sub par.
At a specialty antique or antique jewelry store, you will have the assurance of a well-vetted item that you can handle yourself before you buy. Some dealers may even let you take that pearl pendant to a jeweler for evaluation if you leave a deposit. The cost will be higher, but you might find out something interesting that is worth the extra money.
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