Category: Pearl Jewelry

Pearl is the astrological gemstone of Moon or Chandra Graha as known in Vedic Literature. Pearl is an organic gemstone and has hardness of 2.5-4.5 on the Mohrs Scale. It has a Specific Gravity of 2.60-2.85 and is primarily known for its luster. Pearl is known as Mukta in sanskrit, Moti in Hindi, Pearl in English and Murabeed in Urdu.

Pearl gemstone is essentially a compound of Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and is commonly referred to as a living gemstone. Pearls are available in different shades from creamy white to golden and from blue, pink to blackish grey. These colors also correspond to the four varnas or types of Pearl that can be classified into. For astrological purposes Pearls are of 3 types viz, Natural, Cultured and Keshi. Each of them works equally effectively and based upon ones budget one may choose the best.

Pearls are cultured in China, India, Burma, Japan, Tahiti, USA and South China Sea. Highest quality Pearls are the South China cultured pearls which are famous for their top notch luster and thick nacre coating. High quality and authentic Pearls are most auspicious and sought after.

Brahmin Varna – Pearls that are creamy white in color belong to the Brahmin Varna and these are the ones that resemble the color of tusks of an elephant or a conch shell. These whitish Pearls are suitable to be worn by those who are engaged in teaching, consultations and other spiritual practices. Wearing such white colored Pearls makes the person very peaceful in nature and gives spiritual inclinations. These pearls are most expensive as the white color is most desirable and round shape makes them even more exquisite.

Kshatriya Varna Pearls that have a reddish hue are known as Kshatriya Pearls. These gems should be worn by those who seek power and position as wearing such gems gives administrative powers. These gems should be worn by people engaged in politics, administration, and bureaucracy and by those who occupy high positions. Wearing such pearls makes a person very active and they become go-getters in life.

Vaishya Varna – Pearls that are deep yellow or golden in color or resembling the color of the gold are the vaishya varna. These gems are suited for those involved in trade, business and those who are self-employed and own some kind of business or organization. These kinds of gems should be worn by people who only seek to amass wealth and are primarily engaged with finances, loans, mortgages and insurance.Such gems have very high prices since there is a saying that whosoever dons a yellow/golden pearl always has Sri Mahalakshmi (Goddess of Wealth & Fortune) by his side. This variety of gem is most sought after their whitish counterparts.

Shudra Varna – Pearls that are blackish grey in color are known as shudra varna and these gems are the cheapest amongst all the Pearls. Such gems are worn by those who are engaged in some kind of service or to people who offer their services and talents on a professional basis. They must be worn by people working in financial institutions. Wearing such Pearls is very helpful for those who seek employment and require stability in life. These gems are very cheap. These pearls can also be worn by those who are born with a combust moon or on amavasya tithi.

There is nothing that compliments your natural beauty better than pearl jewelry. There is different jewelry for every occasion. You do not wear the same jewelry to work and to a late evening party or to a wedding. The kind of pearl jewelry you put on also says a lot about you and your personal sense of style. If you want to make a statement or to impress the world, make sure that you get the jewelry that befits that occasion. When going to work, your pearl necklaces should not be too colorful. In fact you should ensure that it is as conservative as possible.

Job interviews also require that you be very careful in the kind of jewelry you choose to wear. If you have a senior position at your place of work, make sure that your pearl jewelry is proper for the position. Other occasions such as weddings demand for some grace. Limit the amount of flashy pearl jewelry that you put on when attending the wedding. If you are the bride or groom, your pearl ring should match your or suit.

Wedding jewelry should allow you to look simple but elegant. When attending a party, especially an evening party, you are allowed to be as flashy as you can be. However, this does not mean that you put on all the pearl necklace that you own. You should put on just enough to make the statement you need to make. Do not overdo it, or you might appear too obnoxious even when you do not mean to.

There is also a special pearl jewelry collection for different holidays. Such days as Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Valentines Day all have different themes; therefore the color, shape and size of your jewelry should be appropriate for a particular holiday. You can find Pearl jewelry from many stores and websites.

Guangzhou City, China, Oct. 5) International Pearl Exposition and Auction has recently been held in Guangzhou, China. Merchants and bidders, both at home and abroad, were deeply impressed by the rare and valuable pearls from all over the world. However, its hard to find the well-known domestic Zhejiang Pearls among the glittering jewels.

With the fame as the “No. 1 global bidding”, International Pearl Exposition and Auction is held two or three times every year. This year, we had the honor to hold the exposition and auction in Guangzhou. It should have been a very good opportunity for the local sellers to display their pearls without traveling abroad. Nevertheless, some 40 local buyers came just to bid with those of the same trade.

“Most of the displayed pearls are from oversea producer.” Said Mark Wu from Topearl Jewelry Inc., “China leads the world in production of saltwater akoya pearls, freshwater pearls also account for 90 percent of the worlds output. But we had very few qualified entries.” This is nothing new but a reflection of the current situation of the international pearl market. Since medium and low grade pearls are in the majority in China, we only hold 10 percent of trading volume in the worlds pearl market. Each year, China mainly exported low-valued un-finished pearl beads and strands, not high added-value pearl jewelry such as pearl necklace, bracelet and pearl earrings etc. The absence of Zhejiang Pearls simply reflected our embarrassment among the general Chinese pearl industry.

How to upgrade Chinese Pearls including Zhejiang Pearls becomes our main concern. China has good weather and temperature for the pearl cultivation. Based on these good natural conditions, our pearls have good quality themselves. Therefore, low added value is the root of the problem. Compared with the international technology, we still have a long way to go in pearl processing and treatment, such as bleaching, polishing and design.

Although we fall a little behind, we see a very good chance to increase the value of our pearls. Union of Asian Jewelry has already been founded in Guangzhou. And from now on, the International Pearl Exposition and Auction will be held in Guangzhou every year. Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Chinas bases of freshwater pearls and pearl jewelry, will have own platform for pearl exhibits.

Choosing the Black Pearl Liveaboard

Having already been scuba diving in the Maldives, my friends knew that the best way to explore as many dive sites as possible in our 2-week holiday was to go on a liveaboard holiday. It is also the cheapest way to see the Maldives, considering the prices of these amazing resorts. The nice ones can run at way over USD 500 each night! The last time my friends visited, they booked through a company called Maldives Dive Travel and had been really happy with the trip, so we decided to go with them again. Looking at the Maldives Dive Travel site and other similar sites, I noticed that Maldives Dive Travel has the best selection of liveaboard boats and the site is really user-friendly. You can see loads of photos of the boats and all the information you really need. The Black Pearl is one of the cheaper boats that they offer, which is a big part of why we chose it. All we really care about is the scuba diving and having a lot of fun in a group, so the Black Pearl was perfect for us.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Facilities

The Black Pearl really has everything you could need on a scuba diving holiday and more. The Black Pearl holds 14 people comfortably and there were 12 in our group, so we had a little extra space. Of the 12, 10 of us were scuba divers. I was a little concerned for the non-diving members of the group because I didnt know what they were going to do all day, but they had a great time relaxing on the boat, sunbathing and snorkelling while we were diving. There are other activities on Black Pearl that we all took part in, a part from scuba diving like fishing it was great when we caught some tuna and the chef would prepare it sashimi-style with ginger and soy and we would all tuck in. Theres really nothing like the taste of fresh tuna, especially when you catch it yourself!!!

The rooms on Black Pearl are very comfortable; all have en-suite, hot water bathrooms, air-conditioning and exterior windows so you can see the amazing blue water all the time during your holiday. There is a nice communal living area with a bar fully stocked, thank goodness, and a dining area. There are comfortable sun-loungers to relax in while you are not diving. It is quite a big boat, just less than 100 feet, and so even with 12 guests and all the crew on board, it never felt crowded.

Black Pearl Service and Food

After the scuba diving, the food in the Maldives was probably the next biggest highlight for me. We were served three meals every day, plus afternoon snacks and there was plenty of food. As you know, scuba diving really works up a hunger (and a thirst), but the catering on the Black Pearl totally satisfied! Most meals included fresh fish and rice, all cooked to perfection. The chef does a good job of combining international cuisine with local Maldivian specialties, so we all got to try new things, without being thrown out of our comfort zones. There were no complaints from our party on the Black Pearl, and all our plates were always clean at the end of the meals. The bar also got a thumbs up from our group. We drank mainly beer, but there was a full selection of wine and liquor on board.

As far as service is concerned, the Black Pearl did a great job. All the crew members were really friendly and the dive instructors were informative and inspired confidence. They knew everything about the dive sites we visited each day and all about the animals we saw under the water. They were also all really down to earth and genuinely excited for us and our new diving experiences. I liked this; so many times the dive instructors can be aloof and behave as if they are superior.

Black Pearl Itinerary

The Black Pearl offers 7 and 12-night holidays. Since our trip to the Maldives was a 14-night trip, we did the 12-day Black Pearl diving safari and then spent two nights at the W Hotel Retreat to finish off the holiday and rest our weary scuba diving bodies. Upon arriving at Male Airport, we were collected at the airport and taken to the Black Pearl. As soon as everyone was on board, the ship set sail and headed off towards the first dive site. When we got there, to Lions Head, we took our initial status dive which helps the dive instructors and dive masters understand what level everyone is at and if you hadnt dived for a while, like me, it serves as a great refresher. The Black Pearl personnel are obviously conscious of everyones safety which was really reassuring. We took 2 or 3 dives each day and one night dive, for a total of 30 dives throughout the trip. It sounds like a lot of scuba diving, but I think it was the perfect amount and it satisfied our cravings for another few months, at least!

Black Pearl Diving

The diving in the Maldives was definitely first-class. What was great about the Black Pearl and all other dive boats was that there was a second boat accompanying the Black Pearl, called a Dhoni, where we kept all the equipment. We used this boat to actually take the dives which made the whole experience more comfortable. Some people brought their own equipment, although the majority of us hired the equipment from the Black Pearl and it was all in great condition no complaints here. As far as marine life goes, we saw some amazing things, including the most important creatures in the Maldives the Whale Sharks and Manta Rays. We also saw turtles, dolphins, moray eels, reef sharks, barracuda, nurse sharks and a whole array of fish, from massive napoleon wrasse to tiny Oriental Sweetlips. It was simply amazing!

All in all, our Black Pearl adventure was excellent. If I had to rate it, it would definitely get a 9 out of 10, maybe even a 10 and I truly hope to be able to return another day for more Maldives adventures.