What Is A Shell Pearl? Quick Answer With Details Is Here!

Posted on January 11, 2023December 5, 2023 by Marufa

Looking for a durable and budget-friendly alternative to cultivated pearls?

Shell pearl would be an absolute solution as it is more resistant to chemicals, won’t discolor or fade quickly and cost 1ox less than cultured ones.

Natural pearls are pretty rare & costly and tend to discolor or fade quickly when coming in contact with chemicals and body oil. To cover such issues, shell pearl is a good alternative as it is a durable and budget-friendly option for you.

Want more clarification on, what is a shell pearl? Go through our detailed article to enjoy tons of info about these shell pearls. Also, we cover some related queries that will help you get quick clarification.

Table of Contents

What Is A Shell Pearl?

Shell pearl is made of real ingredients which are based on the natural mother of pearl. Basically, the inner lining of oyster shells is used as the base of shell pearls.

Once the base is ready by mechanical grinding, different materials are used as the coating. Then, these materials are combined with the nacre to make a protective coating, forming a shell pearl.

The outer surface or protective coating is now polished to give the shell pearl a shine and glaze like a cultured pearl. Due to its forming process, it is obvious to think that shell pearls are fake or lab-created. But, as it uses the ingredients of a cultured pearl, shell pears are durable like cultured pearls and offer a high quality and beautiful appearance.

How Shell Pearl Is Made?

The formation of shell pearl is a complete artificial process with several steps, including cutting the raw material, rounding & shaping the cubes, drilling, stringing, and polishing.

First of all, collect the major components of the shell pearl, which is the inner lining of oyster shells. It is also known as the Mother of Pearl. Hence, the shell pearls contain the same materials as natural pearls, which gives the feel of authenticity.

After gathering the oyster shells, it is time to cut them into cubes. If you use a large shell, it becomes hard to make them round. Once you have the cubes, use a grinding wheel to give the shell a round shape. It is quite a laborious job, but the finishing product is worth the time.

When the round-shaped pearl is ready, the quality control team checks the pearl to select the perfect one. The quality of pearls is checked on different characteristics, including their weight, shape, and durability. If everything is perfect according to the following criteria, it is time to make a protective coating to form a shell pearl finally.

For coating purposes, different materials are used where nacre is the primary substance. It is combined with other materials to make a protective coating and give different colors. In fact, shell pearls offer colors like bright pink, electric blue, or apple green which aren’t available in natural pearls.

After that, the outer surface or protective coating is polished to give the shell pearl a shine and glaze. Hence, shell pears offer a beautiful appearance like cultured pearls. As the forming process of shell pearls is quite similar to fake ones, most people are unable to understand the differences.

But, shell pearls are made with natural ingredients, which results in durability and high quality. Besides, it offers a beautiful appearance with shine and glaze. So, overall, the beautiful jewelry of shell pearls offers different colors and adds a gorgeous look to an outfit.

Characteristics of Shell Pearl

Instead of having the same look as natural pearls, shell pears have different characteristics, including color, durability, quality, and price. Let’s have a look at these characteristics in detail.

Color

When it comes to color, shell pearls offer a wide range of variety compared to real pearls. As different colored materials are used with nacre, it offers better color than real pearls. Sometimes, it provides colors like bright pink, electric blue, or apple green which aren’t available in natural pearls.

On top of that, shell pearls offer better color than the neutral hues of Akoya pearls or the darker shades of Tahitian pearls. If you want to match an outfit with bright pink or electric blue pearl jewelry, shell pearl is your only option.

Durability

Most natural pearls are less resistant to chemicals, whereas shell pearls can tolerate chemicals and body oils. Also, real pearls tend to discolor or fade quickly but shell pearls are more resistant to damage. So, these pearls are more durable compared to cultivated pearls and able to withstand different exposure.

Quality

While comparing the quality of shell pearls with real ones, it is easy to dismiss the discussion by talking about the authenticity of cultivated ones. In reality, the shell pearl comes with better quality and offers a beautiful appearance compared to the real ones. Also, the customization in shape, color, or size helps to create a perfect pearl for the consumer.

Price

As natural pearls are rare and expensive, shell pearls are an affordable and budget-friendly alternative. In fact, shell pearls cost 10 times less than cultured ones. Whereas Akoya pearls can cost at least $250, a strand of shell pearl costs around $20 to $35.

Shell Pearl Vs Cultured Pearl

Compared to cultured pearls, shell pearls offer better quality control, color combination, and are resistant to damage. It is not just a budget friendly alternative but also offers a more beautiful appearance than real ones.

In addition, shell pearls provide colors that aren’t available in natural pearls. So, whether you want bright pink or apple green, shell pearl is the only solution to match your outfit. Besides, the shell pearl comes with better quality and offers a beautiful appearance compared to the cultivated ones.

Moreover, shell pearls can tolerate chemicals and body oils and offer more resistance to damage. On the other hand, natural pearls are less resistant to chemicals and tend to discolor or fade quickly. Further, shell pearls cost 10 times less than cultured ones, which makes them the most affordable option for you.

Should I Use Shell Pearl?

Yeah, why not! Shell pearl offers a wide range of colors, better quality, and a beautiful appearance. In fact, it is super resistant to chemical and body oils which means shell pearls provide years of durability. Hence, it’s nothing bad about using shell pearls as long as the shell pearl suits your outfit.

But, always try to purchase shell pearls from real manufacturers so that you can get some high-quality and durable products. Some fake sites sell shell pearls as real for a low price. So, always try to avoid such stores and pick the best one for you.

Warp Up

Finally, we are at the end of the detailed guide. As we covered all the related info about shell pearls, we hope you got clarification on questions like what is a shell pearl! Besides, we have answered a lot of related queries about shell pearls which can help you to make a quicker decision.

As shell pearls offer a wide range of colors, better quality, and durability, it is an ideal budget-friendly alternative to cultured pearls. So, pick and use shell pearls to add a gorgeous look to your outfit!