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BeadifulBABY uses only the Finest Freshwater Cultured Pearls
and the Finest Akoya Cultured Pearls.
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At BeadifulBABY® we use only Fine Freshwater Cultured Pearls and Akoya Cultured Pearls
direct from one of the best pearls farms in Asia. We buy only Grade AAA Freshwater Cultured Pearl strands and
Grade AAA Akoya Cultured Pearl strands with the highest luster, best color, and roundest shape.
You won't find a more gorgeous selection of Baby and Children's Fine Pearl Jewelry using Fine Pearls like the
pearls we use at BeadifulBABY®.
We welcome you to compare our Fine Pearl Baby and Children's Jewelry with our competitors. We are confident
our Fine Pearl Jewelry stands above the rest.
Our pearl experts painstakingly choose only the very best pearls from each pearl strand we receive to use on your fine pearl
jewelry. 10% of the pearls we receive never make it on your jewelry because we are so meticulous about
how we personally grade each pearl. We classify approximately 20% of the pearls we receive as Grade AA+ and
the other 80% as Grade AAA. Thus we give you the choice in selecting between Grade AA+ and Grade AAA.
We know pearls - and we do our very best to select the very best pearls from each Grade AAA strand we purchase.
Read what just a few of our customers have to say about the Pearl Jewelry they purchased from BeadifulBABY®.
...the pearls on the bracelet we purchased were
absolutely perfect...We will recommend BeadifulBABY to everyone we know...
"The bracelet is exactly what was pictured on the site...
I was afraid of ordering a freshwater pearl bracelet at first because freshwater
pearls can come in weird shapes but the pearls on the bracelet we purchased were
absolutely perfect. The bracelet looks exactly like your picture on the site and
I love how I was able to customize it with crystals and choose a clasp for it at
no extra cost. We will recommend BeadifulBABY to everyone we know and we will
definitely purchase from you again. Thank you!"
Gina, Fall River, MA, United States - April 2008
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...The pearls on this bracelet were gorgeous - the luster, color and shape
were outstanding...It is the most precious little bracelet I’ve ever seen!...
"Wow…words cannot express how thrilled I was to receive the bracelet that I ordered
from your website for my granddaughter’s 1st birthday. I was looking for something
special, and I definitely found lots to chose from on your site. The speed at which
the bracelet was shipped was incredible (ordered Mon., received on Weds.) The pearls
on this bracelet were gorgeous - the luster, color and shape were outstanding. It is
the most precious little bracelet I’ve ever seen! I have to say that when I opened the
beautiful packaging to take a peek, I got teary-eyed. This is a high quality keepsake
that my daughter & granddaughter will cherish forever. I will definitely be recommending
your site to others, and I’ll be back to order again. Thank you so much for such wonderful
products and service!! Warmly,"
Sarah, Clarion, PA, United States - March 2008
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This is just a small sample of the many Customer Testimonials we have received.
Our customers tell the story better than we can. Read all the
BeadifulBABY® Customer Testimonials
we have received and see why you should purchase your baby or child jewelry from BeadifulBABY® - your Number One Best Choice
for Fine Freshwater Cultured Pearl and Akoya Cultured Pearl Jewelry for Mother, Child, Baby, and Family.
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Pearls are considered gems. They are the only gemstones that derive from a living organism.
Pearls are made up of about 85% of the mineral calcium carbonate, which is the nacre,
12% organic material, which is the irritant, and 3% water.
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Pearls are classified as either natural or cultured. Most of the pearls worn today are cultured, while
most of the natural pearls found today are vintage pearls. Approximately 1 in every 10,000 oysters
produce a natural pearl and the odds of that natural pearl produced being perfect are one in a million.
Due to this scarcity the process of pearl cultivation arose.
Cultured Pearls are those pearls that are formed when a human introduces an
irritant, normally a small bead into the mussel or oyster, thus starting the pearl formation
process manually. Cultured Pearls are sold by their size in millimeters, as
opposed to their carat-weight as Natural Pearls are sold.
Natural Pearls are those pearls that form when an irritant is introduced into the mussel
or oyster naturally without human intervention. Natural Pearls are sold by their carat
weight. Perfectly round Natural Pearls are extremely rare and valuable as the irritant
introduced determines the shape of the pearl to some degree. The nacre is deposited in concentric circles
around the irritant thus producing the shape of the pearl.
Most of the pearl jewelry found in the finest jewelry stores today is made with cultured pearls. The proper way
to address these pearls is to use the word Cultured in the name, for example, Freshwater Cultured Pearls or
Akoya Cultured Pearls. To omit the word Cultured in the reference is incorrect and therefore misleading. The absence of the
word Cultured implies Natural and since Natural pearls are extremely rare one can assume the jeweler is not educated
in Pearls.
We recommend buying your Fine Pearl Jewelry from jewelers who are educated in Fine Pearl Jewelry.
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There are two types of pearls:
- Freshwater Cultured Pearls, and
- Saltwater Cultured Pearls.
Freshwater Cultured Pearls are formed in freshwater mussels that live in fresh bodies
of water, like lakes, ponds, and rivers.
The freshwater mussel can produce as many as 40 to 50 pearls at once, with each pearl
ranging in size and shape. The oyster that forms Saltwater Pearls can only form one pearl
at a time.
Freshwater Cultured Pearls take about two to five years to form.
Saltwater Pearls are formed in oysters that live in the ocean or protected
lagoons. Types of Saltwater Pearls are:
- Akoya,
- South Sea, and
- Tahitian.
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Six factors determine the quality of the gemstones we refer to as Freshwater Cultured Pearls,
these factors are Nacre, Luster, Surface,
Shape, Color, and Size.
1. Nacre
Freshwater Cultured Pearls are formed by the secretion of a crystalline substance known as
nacre (pronounced nay-ker) around an irritant in a mussel. The mussel coats the irritant with layer
upon layer of these calcium carbonate crystals called nacre in a concentric fashion until a pearl is formed.
Freshwater Cultured Pearls are generally 100% nacre. The thicker the nacre the greater the luster,
the longer the pearl will last without showing wear, and the more valuable the pearl becomes.
2. Luster
The tiny calcium carbonate crystals that make up nacre determine the luster of a pearl.
The shine or reflective quality of a pearl is defined as its luster. Meaning the
mirror-like quality - how well you can see your reflection determines the degree
of luster a pearl has.
The higher the shine of the pearl, the greater its value.
According to the (GIA) Gemological Institute of America's pearl grading system,
a pearl's luster can be low, medium, high or very high. The luster and the thickness of
the nacre are directly related. The more nacre a pearl has the higher the luster. So larger pearls
tend to have more luster than smaller pearls, because of their greater nacre content.
3. Surface
The surface quality of a pearl is one factor in determining its value. During the nacre laying process
sometimes spots and bubbles will appear because the nacre does not always adhere smoothly.
Most pearls have some surface imperfections or inclusions, such as, bumps, scratches,
spots, or minor color variations. The cleaner the surface of the pearl the
more valuable the pearl. Given that pearls are organic even the most valuable
pearls might have some small inclusions.
4. Shape
The shape of the pearl that is formed by the mussel depends on one of two factors:
- the shape of the irritant, or
- the physical movement of the mussel.
If the mussel moves around a lot during the pearl growth process an irregular-shaped
pearl can form.
The following image represents the variety of shapes Freshwater Cultured Pearls
come in. At BeadifulBABY®, we use the highest-quality, and rarest pearl shape - the
Round Freshwater Cultured Pearl and Akoya Cultured Pearl shape only.
There are three classifications of pearl shape, they are Spherical,
Symmetrical, and Baroque.
Freshwater Cultured Pearl Shape Classification Chart
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At BeadifulBABY® we use Spherical Freshwater Cultured Pearls.
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Spherical Pearls
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These pearls are round. Round pearls are traditionally the
most desirable and the most expensive.
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Other Shapes
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Symmetrical Pearls
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These pearls are not round, they are symmetrical in shape. Symmetrical pearls include
pear-shaped pearls and other shapes that have symmetry from one side to another.
These pearls are most often used for pendant jewelry or earrings.
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Baroque Pearls
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These pearls are irregular in shape, neither round, nor symmetrical.
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5. Color
The color of a pearl is also referred to as the Body Color of a pearl.
Freshwater Cultured Pearls come in a variety of beautiful colors, such as, white,
silvery white, pink, salmon, red, copper, bronze, brown, lavender, purple, green, blue,
cream, and yellow. White, peach, and lavender are the most common colors, while the most
desirable are the pastel pinks, roses, and purples.
The different colors arise from a variety of factors including the genetics, the location
of the deposited irritant, and the water quality. The water chemistry, that is, the elements
present in the water (e.g. copper, silver, zinc) in which the mussel lives determine the color
of the conchiolin and it is the conchiolin present in the nacre that determines the color of
the pearl.
At BeadifulBABY® we use white, cream, dark mauve, light mauve, and black pearls in our
jewelry lines.
6. Size
Natural pearls are sold by carat weight, but cultured pearls are sold by their size in millimeters.
Freshwater Cultured Pearls have the widest-range of size of any pearl type.
Freshwater Cultured Pearls range in size from 2mm to 15mm (i.e. .079 inches to .591 inches).
Freshwater Cultured Pearl Size (mm to inch) Conversion Chart
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At BeadifulBABY® we use 3mm to 6mm Freshwater Cultured Pearls and
6mm to 7mm Akoya Cultured Pearls.
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3 millimeters = 0.118 inches
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4 millimeters = 0.157 inches
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5 millimeters = 0.197 inches
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6 millimeters = 0.236 inches
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7 millimeters = 0.276 inches
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Selecting pearls of the same size, color, luster, and shape is very important in creating a
piece of valuable jewelry. This selection process if often referred to as Matching.
A Matching of 100%, meaning all of the pearls look exactly alike, is very important
if you want the finished piece of jewelry to have value.
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Freshwater Cultured Pearl Grade Chart
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At BeadifulBABY® we use Grade AAA and Grade AA+ Freshwater Cultured Pearls
and Akoya Cultured Pearls.
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AAA
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- Visibly Round
- Excellent Luster
- Clean Nacre with 95% or more Inclusion-Free Surface
- Excellent Matching
- Top 1%-2% of a Pearl Farms Harvest
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AA+
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- Visibly Round to Near Round
- Very Good Luster
- Clean Nacre with 90-95% Inclusion-Free Surface
- Excellent Matching
- Top 5% of a Pearl Farms Harvest
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Other Grades
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AA
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- Near to Off-Round, to Symetrical Oval
- Good Luster
- Good Nacre with 80-90% Inclusion-Free Surface
- Good Matching
- Top 15%-20% of a Pearl Farms Harvest
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A/A+
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- Off-Round to Baroque
- Moderate Luster
- Medium Nacre with 70% Inclusion-Free Surface
- Good to Moderate Matching
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A
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- Very Off-Round to Baroque
- Moderate to Low Luster
- Moderate to Heavily Blemished Nacre
- Moderate Matching
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It is important to take extra care in caring for your pearl jewelry. Always store your pearl
jewelry away from your other jewelry to avoid scratches in the nacre.
Here are a few guidelines that will help you to keep your beautiful pearl jewelry
in tip-top shape for years to come.
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Problem
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Solution
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Dirt mixed with oil from your skin can corrode the nacre.
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Wipe pearls with a damp cloth with water or mild soap to prevent corrosion of nacre.
Never use jewelry cleaner with ammonia or vinegar as this will damaage
your pearls. Never use a ultrasonic jewelry cleaner as this will also damage your pearls.
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Lack of moisture from being stored in an air-tight container.
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Pearls will crack if there is insufficient moisture.
Always include a damp cloth when storing your pearl jewelry. Even better, wear
your pearl jewelry often as the oils in your skin help keep the pearls lustrous.
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Corrosion of nacre.
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Never use harsh chemicals around your pearl jewelry.
Put your pearl jewelry on only after applying makeup and perfume, as these products
will corrode the nacre of your pearls.
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Dirty, worn stringing material.
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If your pearl jewelry is strung using jewelers silk it is best to restring your pearls
once a year to insure the string stays strong thus avoiding breakage and loss of your
valuable pearls.
We offer pearl jewelry both strung on fine jewelers silk and on quality beading wire. We
hand-make jewelry for babies and young children so we want to make sure each piece
of jewelry is extremely durable. Beading wire provides added durability against breakage.
Jewelers silk is used to keep your pearls form touching each other, thus preventing scratches, and
from losing all of your pearls should the silk break.
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Looking for gorgeous, one-of-a-kind Freshwater Cultured Pearl Jewelry?
The following Jewelry Categories highlighted in purple
have jewelry made with gorgeous Cultured Freshwater and Akoya Pearls.
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