Like roses, pearls have become synonymous with love romance and tradition. Pearls have Pearls have always been a classic graduation and / or wedding jewelry and cherished as a family heirloom. Think of the impact of having bridal pearl jewelry pass from generation to generation within the family. It is an established tradition, in many families, to have a daughter receive and wear her mother´s (grandmother´s) wedding pearls and keep them so she can later pass them to her daughter or daughter in law. This is why you need to assure the quality of your pearls and care for them properly. We tell you how to choose pearls, as we provide you with information about pearls.
Enjoy the timeless beauty freshwater cultured pearls jewelry, designed and hand crafted especially for you. If passing wedding pearls to the next generation is not yet an established tradition in your family, have it start with you. When the time comes, your daughter or even granddaughter will appreciate wearing jewelry that has been in the family for generations.
A few words about pearl jewelry for a wedding day created by Mark Kidd.
Mark is an expert pearlist who works directly with pearl farms world wide to assure the highest quality choices. He chooses the best pearls, negotiates the price, designs and hand crafts his own pearl jewelry selling it directly to you via A-wedding Day. That and bypassing the high mark-up added by fine jewelry retail establishments means better quality at affordable Prices for You.
So, whether you choose white, black or champaign pink pearls, our classic heirloom jewelry combines timeless beauty with exceptional quality and will be worn with pride by following generations.
Have you considered pearls for wedding gifts? A wedding day calls for gifts for mothers, maid of honor, bridesmaids, and flower girls. Our low prices allow you to give the ladies and girls in your bridal party a pearl jewelry that will adorn their dresses at your wedding, and will be worn, cherished and remembered for a lifetime.

There are three kinds of pearls available but only two are considered for fine jewelry. Natural pearls and cultured pearls.
The third kind, known as "Imitation pearls", "faux pearls" or "simulated pearls" are manufactured from a variety of products. These pearls are mainly used for inexpensive custom jewelry.

What are Natural Pearls?
Natural pearls are created when an oyster fights an irritant by covering it with layers of nacre (the secreted substance that makes up a pearl). However due to over fishing, pollution and lack of high quality pearls, pearl harvesting declined making Natural Pearls extremely rare. Pearl fishing is still practiced on a small scale in India.

What are Cultured Pearls?
In 1893 a Japanese man named Kokichi Mikimoto discovered the art of culturing pearls by introducing an irritant, into an oyster (the best are Akoya and South Sea pearls) letting nature take its course. It takes years for the oyster to cover the irritant with layers of nacre that produce a quality pearl. Thus the only difference between Natural and Cultured pearls is that the former is a product of nature the latter is a product of nature initiated by a pearl farmer and helped along by science.
In order to provide the most luxurious, classic jewelry, Mark uses high quality Akoya pearls. Quality Akoya pearls are usually more expensive and sought after than other cultured pearls because of their roundness and intense luster. However, because Mark deals directly with the growers, selects his own pearls, creates the magnificent jewelry, and ships directly to you, you get Pearl jewelry at a very deep discount over jewelry stores, without sacrificing quality.

What makes some Cultured Pearls more expensive than others?

Pearls are one of the most intriguing of all gems; however, they are also one of the most misunderstood. We hope that the following information will answer your questions about quality pearl jewelry.

Because Cultured Pearls are organic gem stones formed by nature no two pearls are exactly alike. A variety of factors go into determining the quality and price of pearl jewelry. Some characteristics that determine Cultured Pearl costs are:

   Luster

Luster is the glow of the pearl and its brilliance to the human eye. The longer the pearl is left in the oyster to grow its nacre casing, the higher the luster.
Luster is what separates the inferior pearl from the superior and the ordinary from the extraordinary. For cultured pearl experts, luster is perhaps the most important indicator in evaluating cultured pearl quality. For the layman and jewelry novice, the luster of a pearl can best be described as a combination of a high, reflective sheen on the surface of a pearl combined with an almost three-dimensional glow that seems to emanate from within the heart of a pearl. Luster can be judged easily by the naked eye and without any equipment. Pearls with high luster display the characteristic depth or three-dimensional glow and a subtle display of different surface colors (orient) that is so prized among high-quality pearls. Pearls with low luster often look dull, monotonous, chalky and lifeless. As for pricing, pearls with high luster account for only 8% to 10% of all cultured pearl production in any given year so they usually command premium prices. With all other factors such as surface, shape, color and size being the same, a medium-luster pearl will cost about 30% , and a high luster pearl about run 60% to 70% more than a low-luster pearl of the same size. For anyone who has ever seen a high-luster pearl, it's easy to appreciate the value and mysterious beauty captured in the gem.
With our Jewelry you'll enjoy High luster.

   Surface condition
The fewer the natural markings or spots on the pearl's visible surface, the more expensive the pearl. We do our utmost to assure that our pearls are of the highest surface condition
   Shape
Round pearls fetch the highest prices because they are the hardest to grow. For a fine piece of jewelry, all the pearls must match. All the pearls in any piece of our Jewelry are perfectly round and matching.

However pearls come in other shapes.

Pearl Shapes
Round, Semiround, Off-Round & Drop Pearls	Usually pretty symmetrical (Akoya, Tahitian, South Sea, freshwater)
Baroque Pearls	Assymetrical, free-form (Akoya, Tahitian, South Sea, freshwater)
Circle or Ringed Pearls	Concave circles or rings on the body or a round, semiround, off-round or drop pearl (typically Tahitian, South Sea)
Button Pearls	Round with an almost float side to one end - resembling a mabe pearl (Tahitian, South Sea, freshwater)
Stick	Elongated and flat (freshwater)
Angel-Winged	Self-descriptive (freshwater)

   Color

Pearls are available in different natural colors, Color consistency also effects value and price of the pearls, as do current fashion trends and color demand conditions. Mark uses white, black and champaign pink pearls paying special attention to assure that the color consistency of all the pearls on any given piece is the same.

   Size

Pearl diameter is measured in millimeters. Generally, the larger the pearl, the rarer and the more valuable it is. Our pearls range from 6mm to 9 mm.

   Matching

For pearl necklaces the overall look is very important, regardless of the quality of the individual pearls. The more uniform and aesthetically pleasing two or more pearls look together the more time was spent matching the pearls. This time to match pearls is reflected in the cost.

   Rarity
Because pearls are not cut or polished when removed from the oyster or mussel, certain sizes, qualities and colors may from time to time be in scarce supply. Overall health of pearl growing oysters and mussels effect pearl size, quality and availability.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved to Mark Kidd 2004