1. Cultured pearls are not "real"
These days 99.9% of all pearls on the world market are cultured! They are quite “real” pearls, formed in a shell, but with a little help from man. Completely natural pearls, obtained without human intervention, found in wild waters are extremely rare and are sold individually only by the world’s largest auction houses for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
2. Freshwater pearls are always riverine
While river waters are also fresh, almost all freshwater mussels and pearls are grown in ponds. There are also river pearls, but they are not very popular due to the specifics of cultivation and the fact that they are often of lower quality.
3. All pearls are round in shape
Ever since the first cultured pearls were created, the quest to achieve a perfectly round pearl has been on. This has necessitated a pattern that makes every person, when they hear the word “pearl”, imagine a round shape. In reality, the pearl can take on whatever shape nature chooses or whatever core is placed in the oyster. Due to the fact that all manufacturers put a round core in their oysters, striving for this ideal, almost all saltwater pearls are round in shape. The advantage of freshwater pearls is that they have no core and can be made in all sorts of fanciful shapes that only nature decides. The freshwater mussel, of course, can also produce a perfectly round pearl, but this happens naturally without the aid of a nucleus, which is what makes round freshwater pearls so special.
4. Chinese pearls are of low quality
When we hear “Made in China”, we are used to imagining a low quality and cheap product. With pearls, this is far from the case. The finest, highest quality and rarest freshwater pearls in the world are made in China. Due to its vast land area, many water bodies and suitable climate, China produces over 95% of the world’s pearls. Of course, as with any product, there is bad or good quality in pearls, but this is defined and differentiated by quite different criteria and the fact that pearls come from China is not in itself an indication of quality. You can rest assured that at Velmar we select only the highest quality pearls – the top 5% of all pearls produced in the world.
5. Pearls are processed
Unlike all other precious and semi-precious stones, pearl is the only one that looks the same in rough and finished. After the pearl is removed from the shell, it goes through several processes, such as cleaning, polishing (in a walnut shell drum), etc., but these processes are not considered processing because the original shape and condition of the pearl are not changed. Of course, there are many vicious practices of additional pearl treatments that include coloring, coating with luster agents, subjecting to radiation, etc., which aim to bring out qualities of the pearl that it does not originally possess (especially luster) and increase its value accordingly. Unfortunately, these methods have a short-term effect and over time a low-quality pearl cannot be hidden. At Velmar, we guarantee that our pearls are completely natural, without additional treatments or treatments, and will retain their beauty forever.
6. Small size pearls are cheap
Generally speaking, if all pearl quality criteria (shape, luster, surface smoothness, etc.) are equal, then, indeed, large pearls are more expensive and valuable than fine pearls. In any case, however, a string of perfectly round, smooth and lustrous small pearls is often at the price, if not above the price, of much larger pearls that do not have these characteristics. High quality fine pearls are extremely difficult to grow, sort and select and for these reasons are increasingly rare and at a high price.
7. Pearl jewelry is for adult women only
This is one of the most common misconceptions in the world of pearls and jewelry in general. Many people associate pearls with the Queen of England or some elderly aristocrat who wears a row of white pearls. We can reassure you that these days this is not the case at all and is just an outdated preconception. With its soft sparkle, uniqueness and natural beauty, as well as the endless combinations in which pearl can be used, it is suitable for absolutely all ages – from a small baby to an elderly lady. Nowadays, pearl is not nearly as inaccessible as it used to be, and can be safely paired with jeans and a sporty t-shirt as well as a formal dress. Velmar’s designers are able to combine pearls into a variety of different jewellery pieces to suit every taste, age and style.
8. Pearls are unaffordable and very expensive
You’d be surprised how many people think pearls are something out of reach and infinitely expensive. In the distant past, when pearls were only completely natural and cultivation was unknown, this was completely true. Back then pearls were also more valuable than gemstones and were only available to royalty and very wealthy people. Nowadays, pearls are quite an affordable luxury. Of course, even today, pearls of the highest quality and largest sizes are quite rare and at very high prices and rival the finest gemstones. At Velmar, we have a mission to make pearls accessible to every woman. Here you can find both extremely affordable jewellery as well as those with rarer, exclusive and precious pearls.
9. Pearls are common and very cheap
This opinion is just as common as that pearls are extremely expensive. People are unfamiliar with pearls, have seen or owned many imitations that are seemingly perfectly smooth and round like plastic marbles, and rely that pearls must be just as perfect, possibly, however, at the price of artificial ones. There are many low-quality, extra-processed or outright artificial pearls on the market that are at deceptively low prices. Nice and high quality pearls have their value and one should be knowledgeable before making a purchase. If you want natural pearls without any blemishes, smooth as a mirror and perfectly round like beads, you must be willing to pay the price. As the largest importer and distributor of pearl jewellery in Bulgaria, Velmar is able to offer the best value for money you can get.
10. The "pearls are certified" deception
This, perhaps, is the most dangerous and deceptive delusion. Not knowing pearls at all, people are constantly looking for the security of a “certificate” to guarantee them the quality of the pearls. Unfortunately, nobody thinks about and asks the questions: who issues these certificates, what do these certificates guarantee and what exactly is “certified” by them. Now you are about to read something that may startle or amaze you, but it is the very truth: The certificates that over 95% of the companies apply when they sell pearls in our country mean absolutely nothing, have absolutely no value and weight and guarantee absolutely nothing! This is the reality. A pearl, unlike other precious stones such as gold, silver and diamonds, has no specific measure by which to be valued. The factors that determine its qualities and therefore its price are completely subjective and each dealer interprets them as he sees fit, especially since there are no experts and specialists in the field of pearls. In other words, anyone can write whatever they want in these certificates. There is no institution or laboratory on our territory that can analyse pearls and give a competent assessment. Whether a pearl is real or not, whether it has a coating or not, whether it is coloured or not, these are things that are impossible to tell ‘by eye’. It needs laboratory analysis, x-rays, etc. Such technologies and specialists are not available in our country. If you want such an analysis, you need to contact one of the world’s laboratories such as GIA (the world’s most reputed haematology laboratory in the world). If you want to be absolutely sure of your pearls, you should only buy from places with impeccable reputations, where they employ people trained to know and evaluate pearls according to global and established standards. Velmar is the only place in the country where pearls are evaluated and graded by GIA-trained specialists and professionals whose credentials can be verified directly in the lab’s database. Only with us can you get a true certified grade that ensures you are paying for something real and quality.
Velislav Ivanov
These suggestions are proof of everything you have read so far. Now it’s time to enjoy the beauty of pearls without worrying about what you’re buying.