| What are Shell Pearls? | | | | spheres are rough and unpolished, and have to be |
| A shell pearl is a pearl made from the shell of oysters, | | | | manually shaped by hand to achieve a better, more |
| mollusks and other similar creatures. It is also known by | | | | beautiful shape. After the shell is turned into beads, the |
| the name of "mother of pearl" and is used in | | | | beads are checked for quality and are machine drilled |
| ornaments, jewelries, clothing and accessories. It can | | | | with tiny holes that will be used to string the beads |
| serve as either a fashion piece or an accent in various | | | | together. |
| uses. The shell pearl remains as an item of design and | | | | Stringing the beads together is done by hand. These |
| currently serves no other functional purposes. The | | | | strung beads are then framed and stored for final |
| material does not possess any levels of conductivity, it | | | | processing. The framing of the beads is done by |
| is not malleable, nor is it strong enough to serve other | | | | connecting the ends of strings into a large frame. The |
| uses. The market and demand for shell pearls | | | | result is a frame of several strings of beads aligned |
| however, is still consistent as it is used consistently by | | | | parallel to each other. These shell pearl beads are then |
| jewelers world wide. | | | | coated with dyes; this is how colored beads are made. |
| The creation of a shell bead takes several steps, all of | | | | To perfect the coating of the dye, the shell pearls are |
| which are man-made processes. These processes | | | | brought into a large oven where they will be baked. |
| are important as they determine the final look and | | | | This step not only creates a good coat of dye, but |
| quality the shell pearl will have when it is ready for | | | | also tempers the consistency and toughness of the |
| public usage. This process starts from various | | | | bead. |
| specialized mother of pearl sea beds and artificial | | | | Steps before Releasing the Shell Pearls |
| pools where oysters and mollusks grow in abundance | | | | After baking the shell pearls, they are removed from |
| and in good health and form. This provides a stable | | | | the frames and the strings for the last finishing touches. |
| and consistent source of high quality shells that will be | | | | The first finishing touch is polishing. Polishing involves |
| used for the creation of the shell bead. These shell | | | | removing excess dye and creating a good and |
| farms also produce actual pearls. | | | | consistent glossy finish throughout the bead. This is |
| The Creation of a Shell Pearl | | | | done by machine. After polishing, the pearls are then |
| Once the shells are cultivated from the water farms, | | | | sent to the last quality control phase where they are |
| these shells are brought into processing in order to | | | | inspected for any flaws. Those that pass are then |
| make Shell Pearls. The first step begins with selecting | | | | sorted according to color and size. Once they are |
| good shells from which pearls will be made from. The | | | | sorted, the pearls are packed and are sent to suppliers |
| shells are cut into strips that can be easily cut by | | | | across the globe. |
| machine and formed into small spheres. These | | | | |