Dear Tony
My National Geoghraphic topic will be about REARLS
"Diamond the real story" got my attention when I picked the magazine, even it is not my favorite stone, in factI like pearl, when I started reading about diamond, I found it very long subjet, require long time to finish despite the very useful information that I read. I went to searsh throw our old National Geoghraphic magazines at home, LUCKILY, I found one about pearls " Hunting for pearls in French Polynesia".
I will not write about all the subjet, but only about some informations got my attention the most.
The one in 10,000 chance in finding a 'black' pearl would have ensured an early retirement for the lucky diver.The only black pearls on the market are farmed, because it is forbidden to harvest wild oysters.
Sometimes, as big as 18 mm in diameter, black pearls have about 1000 layers of mother pearl.
The price of pearls is dependent on objective criteria. Size is a matters. As does shape ( round is best) and quality: 'A' grade means less than ten per cent of the surface has any defects. From 1,000 oysters, only five will produce a pearl of 'A' quality !. Also the colour play a role.
Lastly, and what I dont like about my favorite jewellery is that several fatalities every year happened, because many of the smaller farms use free-divers to retrieve the lines of oysters, some of them diving as deep as 60 meter without breathing apparatus. It is a hazardous occupation.
Even I have both, the black and white pearls, still I prefer the white. A white peral necklace was
the first gift I received from my husband twenty years ago.
I hope that you will like my subject, and I will be very happy if you correct my mistakse Tony.
Hanan
