Real Pearls Will Not Burn In Fire A pearl will not burn or scorch. It also won't give off much of a smell.
Never leave your pearls around a direct source of heat such as a fireplace mantle, on top of a television, computer, or stove, or in the direct sun for long periods of time. Pearls will not survive a fire, even in a fire-proof safe, so be sure to insure your Naughton Braun purchases.
Pearls cannot tolerate heat or chemicals. In any repair situation requiring heat, it is best to remove the pearl. If the pearl cannot be removed for repair, use a heat-shielding product or immerse the pearl in water while doing torch work.
Ammonia and alcohol will ruin pearls. They both draw out the oils in the pearls which give them their luster. Keep pearls away from metal cleaners and tarnish removers.
Tahitian black-lipped pearls can be darker if they develop closer to the lips, and can also be a silvery gray color if they get wedged in a lighter portion of the oyster. If an oyster that typically produces white pearls has an unusual black coloring in its nacre, it too can create a blackish pearl.
Perhaps the best-loved gems of all time, pearls—both natural and modern cultured pearls—occur in a wide variety of colors. The most familiar colors are white and cream (a light yellowish brown). Black, gray, and silver are also fairly common, but the palette of pearl colors extends to every hue.
Real Pearls Will Not Burn In Fire
A pearl will not burn or scorch. It also won't give off much of a smell. However, if the imitation pearl is made from glass, wax or plastic, you'll see a scorch mark and it will smell like burning plastic.
Wetting pearls is never a good idea, as it begins to destroy the jewel. Pearl necklaces are damaged when they get wet, because the water damages both the thread and the pearl . When wet, the thread that holds the beads together begins to stretch and lengthen, so it quickly loses the desired shape.
Don't wear them in the swimming pool
Harmful chemicals such as chlorine in a pool can effect or cloud the lustre of a pearl and in some instances etch or pit the surface. Wearing a strand of pearls in water can also lead the silk thread they are strung with, to stretch.
Don't store your pearls in areas of direct sunlight. UV rays can damage your pearls. Don't attempt to clean your pearls with abrasives such as ammonia, baking soda or Windex. After wearing your pearls to avoid entangling, don't crumble them up and throw them in a drawer.
Never get pearls hot. Heat can destroy pearls and their settings. Always protect your pearls from scratching. Even a soft toothbrush can scratch the delicate nacre of a pearl.
As mentioned, pearls are ranked 2.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale which means that a pearl is considered a soft gem and can easily be scratched. But with adequate care, pearl jewelry can last for a lifetime and be passed down through generations. The good news is that special care is not hard to do.
Diamonds are virtually fireproof. To burn a diamond, it must be heated to 1292 degrees Fahrenheit. (The typical house fire reaches a temperature of approximately 1100 degrees). In their pure state, diamonds are colorless.
Diamonds will burn at about 1562°F (850°C). House fires and jewelers' torches can reach that temperature. A house fire caused the white, cloudy appearance of this diamond (left). The stone was recut to remove the burned area, reducing the diamond's size, but leaving no sign that it was ever damaged (right).
Do not submerge your pearls in water - no showers, no dishes, no swimming. The chlorine in the water will eat away at the epoxy securing the pearls to their mountings, and soaking the silk your pearls are strung on causes it to stretch out and break early.
Is it OK to wear pearls everyday? Absolutely. Pearl jewelry should be worn and enjoyed frequently, so avoid leaving your pearls in a security box for long periods of time. But as many jewelry, pearls are beautiful, but they are delicate and should be worn with care.
Do not sleep, shower or bathe while wearing your pearls. You need to make sure you're taking proper care of them. To clean your pearls, simply wipe them with a damp cloth after each wear. You can use mild soap if you want to, but be sure to avoid any harsh chemicals.
If you bite a real pearl and scrape it slightly with your teeth, you can feel and hear the sandy, grainy surface of the pearl. But a fake pearl will be slippery with no sound. And if the fake is plastic, sometimes your teeth will make depressions in the pearl. Magnifier observation.
They are particularly subject to deterioration from contact with chemicals, including components in household cleaners, perfumes, cosmetics and hair care products of all kinds. The surface of a pearl is soft and is easily damaged.
The Pearl of Fire is part of a family of rare natural glasses called Pseudotektites which includes Arizonaites (Saffordites), Colombianites, Healdsburgites and Amerikanites.
Gold Pearls
One of the largest and rarest pearls found around the world is Gold in color. They are Golden South Sea pearls, cultured in the Philippine Islands. Golden South Sea pearls have only been available to pearl lovers since the late 1970s, and are known as the “Rolls Royce” of cultured pearls.
A true black Tahitian pearl is extremely rare, and largely considered one of the most beautiful kinds of pearls in the world. Most Tahitian pearls that are identified as “black” are actually charcoal grey, silver, or dark green.
Bahrain, an island nation in the Persian Gulf lying between both the Qatar peninsula and the Saudi Arabian eastern coast, is known as the "Island of Pearls."