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Pearl Jewelry - The Story of Pearl Hunters
As long as pearl jewelry have been known to people, they have been a highly sought commodity for their beauty. It's only in recent times however that the industry has taken the hunt for the perfect pearl to a whole different level. Today, the shiny orbs that we see on in display in jewelry stores have actually almost always been grown in farms.
That's a far cry from the dangerous extraction and collection methods used before the invention of modern technology. In the past, not more than 100 years ago, the only way to retrieve pearls was by diving in lakes, floods and the ocean to pick them up, one at the time. The unfortunate divers who'se job it was to do this, were often poor and lured by the relative large sums they could get. The diver would sometimes have to dive as deep as 100 feet on one single breath of air. In order to preserve air and to stay submerged the longest, the divers would hold on to heavy stones on the way down.
Naturally, this dangerous activity was reserved for the desperate or the powerless - in many cases slaves or extremely poor peasents. Today, this method is all but obsolete in most places of the world. The cheaper cultured pearls have become popular and are many times the only pearls available to the consumer.
There are however still a few isolated areas that practice this old art of pearl diving. Some of the finest natural pearl speciments come from the gulf of Bahrain. Here, divers still risk their health to retrieve what are considered the top of the crop in the world. In fact, Bahrain wants no part of the sale of cultured pearls, banned from trade. Bahrain is one of the few places on earth that does an active job in trying to preserve the natural habitat and waters from pollution.
It's an interesting story and one that continues to fascinate buyers around the world. Somehow, the beauty of the pearl grows when it's been retrieved from the depth of the ocean.
Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.
Pearls
Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.
Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.
Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre.
A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.
Buying Pearl Jewelry Without Being Ripped Off
Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online.
Pearls
Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials.
Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated.
Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre.
A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.
DUBAI — Genetic testing may soon
DUBAI — Genetic testing may soon be part of the UAE’s national breast cancer screening programme, according to health officials.
Officials are currently battling budgetary deficits and social acceptance of the method ahead of its planned pearl earrings inclusion into the national programme that was set up in 1999.
Free testing will be done on only those with a family or past history of breast cancer. However, officials say social acceptance of the disease and the ensuing treatment methods, including mastectomy may deter women from opting for genetic testing.
In the UAE, breast cancer tops the list followed by colon, leukaemia, lymphomas and thyroid.
“Genetic testing is already being done for other hereditary diseases such as thalassemia and sickle pearl pendant cell anaemia,” said Dr Mona Al Sebelgy, Coordinator for the National Breast Cancer Programme in Sharjah for Planning
and Evaluation.
“Such testing is a standard procedure in the West but it is not socially acceptable in our society yet,” said Dr Mona who is also a consultant in family medicine. “Since women screened under this kind of testing are at 50-80 per cent more risk which may result in aggressive pearl necklace wholesale treatment methods including removal of the breast. This is not acceptable in our society yet,” she said.
Though resources such as equipped laboratories exist, there remains a shortage of manpower. “Knowing that you have cancer can affect people differently. Psychiatric counsellors can help women overcome the stress they may be undergoing,” she said.
While the government facilities pearl earrings are still contemplating the inclusion of the testing in the national programme, private facilities are already offering it.
“This region is not quite ready for the predictive way yet,” said Dr Sanjida Ahmed, Director for Research at Dubai-based Eastern Biotech that carries out several other tests.
Up till now, the company has not carried out more than such 50 tests that cost between Dh1,000-2,800, in association with laboratories in India and US.
“Western countries are more health conscious and the acceptance is also more but we have noticed change cultured pearl jewelry over the past two years,” she explained.
Currently women above 40 are being recruited under the national programme and offered free mammography exams at all eight primary healthcare centres under the health ministry. Home screening programmes, especially in rural areas are not
that successful.
The plastic can be reused
DUBAI — A majority of the people in the UAE are unaware that used and thrown electronic gadgets and components can be recycled as more than 75 per cent of them are being dumped in landfills or burnt making it hazardous to the environment.
“Studies have indicated that there has been low consumer effort to recycle or segregate e-waste,” Dr Radhiya Al Hashimi, executive community member of the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), said at a community lecture to create awareness about recycling unused and thrown-away electronic items.
A survey conducted by mobile pearl earrings phone company Nokia in the UAE revealed that more than 59 per cent of the people did not know that they could recycle their mobile phones. “Only 3 per cent of the people recycle their handsets and our key issue has been not getting enough mobile phones back to recycle,” said Mia Ranta-aho, senior environmental manager for Nokia Middle East and Africa.
e-waste includes all discarded electronic items — mobile phones, refrigerators, stereo equipment and computerswhose wastes may contain hazardous materials such as cadmium, mercury, lead pearl jewelry wholesale and polychlorinated biphenyl. According a Greenpeace International study published this year, the number of mobile phone users around the world will reach the two billion mark. The sales of other electronic gadgets have also been noted to grow exponentially at 400 per cent annually.
The United Nations estimates that roughly 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste are generated worldwide each year, comprising more than five per cent of all municipal solid waste.
Mobile phones contain inorganic materials, metals and plastic that can be recycled as part of the sustainable e-waste management. “The battery is removed from the handset and metals like gold, titanium and copper can be reused once they are treated.
“The plastic can be reused to dancing pearl make traffic cones and park benches. It is important for people to realise that up to 80 per cent of the device can be recycled,” said Ranta-aho.
A UAE resident has more than two mobile phones on average but use only one. Recycling just one unused phone of all people can save nearly 80,000 tonnes of raw materials.
a mobile phone and e-waste
EnviroFone, a mobile phone and e-waste collection campaign by etisalat, collected 40,000 mobile phones and 23 tonnes of other electronic wastes in the UAE in the beginning of this year. In 2008, 200,000 mobile phones and 52 tonnes of e-waste were collected.
The Dubai Municipality has silver pearl necklace developed a refurbishment programme to upgrade discarded computers and donate them to charity. It aims to collect over 10,000 computers annually.
Recycling e-waste does not only save the environment but can slow the depletion of essential resources. “A landfill or improper incineration pollutes the ground and emits toxins which is harmful for people and animals. “Also, the consumption trend must be supplemented with wheat pearl a waste management system because if we do not put the metals back into the loop, then the global supply will eventually deplete and there are economic consequences as well,” said Ranta-aho.
Many countries follow a producer take-back law that makes manufacturers responsible for recycling used electronic items. The UAE currently does not have any such regulation and while waste, including plastic, can be locally recycled, other materials need to be exported to facilities in other countries for recycling.
By 2010, it is estimated that the e-waste in industrialised and developing countries will triple.
EEG has joined Nokia to set up cultured pearl mobile phone collection points in the country and create awareness among the public. “As individuals, we can contribute by segregating our waste to make sure that e-wastes are delivered to the proper disposal systems,” said Al Hashimi.
SHARJAH — There were
SHARJAH — There were no injuries as families were evacuated from their flats on Tuesday night after a huge fire broke out in a nearby building under construction.
The fire, in the Al Nahda area near the blister pearl Sahara shopping mall, started at around 10pm and was put out within three hours with fire crews from Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman working together. Roads were cordoned off and the neighbouring buildings were evacuated.
Mohammed Zaki Al Deen, an eyewitness and resident of the neighbouring building said he called the emergency services when he saw flames and heavy smoke coming out of the tower block.
“We made sure that all windows in our apartment were closed. We had to spent all night out in the street until the freshwater pearl jewelry fire was brought under the control.”
Col. Waheed Al Serkal, Director General of Sharjah Civil Defence
said the three floors of the 29-storey building was completely gutted. There was a large quantity of wood and construction material that produced
heavy smoke.
“We faced problems in reaching the 29th floor, where the fire started as the building was so high, but we managed to take fire fighting equipment up to the highest floor,” Al Serkal said.
He said the fire could have been caused by a short circuit. He added that an investigation had been initiated.
According to a fire-fighter a freshwater pearl jewelry spark could have fallen on the wooden planks placed at the construction site causing the fire to spread to the building under construction
welcomed the Security
NEW YORK - UAE welcomed the Security Council resolution No. 1887 for 2009 on nuclear disarmament and initiatives of the United States and Russia to reduce the number of warheads.
Addressing UN First Committee freshwater pearl bracelet on “Disarmament and International Security”, Ali Ahmed Al Shehhi, a member of UAE delegation to the United Nations, confirmed UAE’s renouncement to the possession of nuclear arsenals which constitute a threat to the international security and stability.
Al Shehhi stated that the UAE, which joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1995, adopts a firm position in this respect with renewed calls for the international community to strengthen its efforts aiming to phase out nuclear weapons in addition to the cessation of all efforts of qualitative development of these dangerous weapons.
He said that UAE renews its twisted pearl necklace call to achieve the goals of disarmament and the prohibition of nuclear tests, including the implementation of the 13 steps agreed by consensus at the Sixth Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Al Shehhi also stressed the importance of reaffirming the universality and comprehensiveness of the akoya pearl jewelry NPT to enter the “Comprehensive Nuclear - Test Ban Treaty – CTBTO” into force.
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