The Baroque Pearl: A One-of-a-Kind Gem

The most popular pearl jewelry is all made using round or semi-round pearls that are very regular. However, nature gives us the best of itself when we let it shape unique shapes and colors as in the case of baroque pearls, also called scaramazze.

What is a baroque or scaramazza pearl and the areas of origin

This is a pearl that stands out for its irregular shape , which cannot be ascribed to the more classic forms. It can be natural or cultivated and the most famous areas from which the largest quantities come are those of the South Pacific: the light ones come from Australia , Indonesia and Burma while the dark ones come from Tahiti .

How it was born

The natural process of pearl formation, common to all types, is actually an attempt by the oyster to expel a foreign body; to do so, the mollusk covers it with a shiny crystalline substance, mother-of-pearl , with the aim of isolating it until, over the course of years, it becomes the gem we all know. The difference lies in the fact that the formation of baroque pearls occurs in the mollusk's muscular tissue: this means that the mother-of-pearl substance is not deposited uniformly, thus creating the typical irregular surface with contours that are often hollow in several places.

Its merits

While on the one hand the irregularity lowers the market price , at least for the moment, on the other it is certainly a plus. First of all it is not possible to find two identical scaramazze pearls in nature; secondly the fantasy of the profile, the larger dimensions and the unrepeatable shades of the mother of pearl allow to create very captivating and often unconventional jewels. In a word, unique.

A gem that made history

The baroque pearl is a gem that has been known for a long time. Its great diffusion on a global level took place for the first time around the 15th century when jewelers of the time began to make increasing use of it given their lower price and the variety of shapes that contributed to the creation of original jewels, some of which became part of the collections of illustrious and very influential families. Naturally the nobility was not exempt from the charm of baroque pearls so much so that those of superior quality, therefore more expensive, were used for the jewels of families of the caliber of De' Medici and Habsburg. The popularity continued until the 19th century and then diminished with the advent of spherical and semi-spherical pearls that made it possible to create jewels of more regular dimensions.

How to choose the best pearls

The aspects that an expert knows how to take into consideration to evaluate the quality of a pearl are the following: shape, size, color and orient. Shape is certainly a factor that greatly affects price. The more regular and symmetrical a pearl is, the higher its commercial value. When it comes to saltwater cultured pearls, the fact that a spherical nucleus is inserted favors a more regular pearling. Size is the factor most influenced by the type of environment in which the mollusc lives and the climate of the period in which pearling occurs. Taking into account that producing a large pearl is a difficult operation for the oyster, on an economic level the size is directly proportional to the value. In the case of color, the type of oyster is a fundamental factor. Among cultured pearls there are about ten basic colors, which in any case can differ in shades in an unpredictable way given the random nature of the formation process. Speaking of the European area for example, the most popular color is white in shades of silver, cream and pink. Orient is a characteristic that has to do with the pearl's shine. In practice it consists of the more or less evident iridescent effect given by the way in which light interacts with the surface. A high quality pearl must be luminous, with a velvety appearance and with a sparkling orient that returns iridescent iridescent reflections. On the contrary, a pearl that is too white and opaque can be defined as low quality.

Unique creations

Trust an expert to choose a quality baroque pearl. If you come to our shop you will find a selection from which to choose the most suitable ones to have our goldsmith's laboratory create a jewel as unique as you with first choice materials according to your personal taste.

By Fabrizio Ferro https://www.ferrogioielli.com https://www.facebook.com/FerroGioielli [views]