Caring for Natural Pearls

I have said it before but let me say it again, I love hearing from y'all!! Keep your calls and email coming because if I could just spend the rest of my life fully immersed in talking, reading, writing and researching pearls well, I would be the happiest gal alive. So, let's chat! Just a few days ago Ruth reached out to me with questions about caring for natural pearls. I wanted to share our email here with y'all in case some of you had some questions about caring for pearls or, specifically, about caring for natural pearls.

Ruth said:

"I ordered the Pearl Bird Necklace and have not received yet.. I saw your Tennessee pearl business in Southern Living and have been looking at this necklace. I live very close to the Tennessee River the creek that runs through our farm runs into the river. My father found a good size pearl and had put in a ring for my mother just like he found it so I t is rough, his brother had the one he found polished before made into ring. Both of these pearls have decreased in size. I have heard you need to have them close to your skin for the moisture it gives them often I have not noticed my other pearls doing this. Is it just Tennessee pearls that does this? Need to know care for pearls."

And here are my thoughts on caring for natural pearls:

"I am so happy you found us in Southern Living!! And how amazing that your Dad found a pearl! Pearls need great care when placed in rings (I say this as I am currently having a ring made with Tennessee pearls!) This is simply because we can be rougher with our hands and because pearls are soft, they need to be cared for very gently. Their soft surfaces can be easily scratched and worn down. Wearing your pearls is both a good and potentially not so good thing. Pearls LOVE moisture and they love the moisture in our skin. But, again, they are sensitive gems and the acids in our skin, soaps and perfumes can break down their surface. My advice is to wipe down the surface of your pearl with a chamois or soft cloth after wearing. If you want to clean your pearl, you would only do this as a preventative measure (you would never clean it to make it shiny or more polished the way you might with gemstones). I sometimes use a mind soap such as ivory. I lather up my hands and rub the foamy surface on my pearls then rinse thoroughly with cool water and dry. Again, this will not make a huge visible difference but what you are doing is routinely ensuring that the surface of your pearls is cleansed of any acids that will, over time, wear down the pearl's surface.

If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out to me!

Thanks again for the email and I hope you LOVE your necklace!!"

Any more questions? Email me! [email protected]

India