I haven't strolled through downtown Culver City for quite a long time, I was there just last night to meet a friend at Starbucks. I was very surprised how lively the area was. There were people walking around everywhere.

And it was a huge collection of outdoor cafés, unique shops, galleries and nightlife. You can actually see some landmark buildings all around and new businesses popping up everywhere. Just down the street is Sony Studios and is a bunch of small-town charm all around.

 Do a lot of young girls walking around, I'll have to take advantage of this. I'll be taking my laptop to Starbucks and just hanging out and doing some work. Actually I didn't even know that this is a premier dining destination I saw French restaurants popping up all over the place why, who knows.

Within the last few years the quality of freshwater pearls has greatly increased. It used to be that freshwater pearls were known for their lower quality and irregular shapes, such as the common potato shaped pearl.

Nowadays the quality of a freshwater pearl necklace is very good and some of the  top pearls can be considered gem quality.
Indeed it is very exciting to see the different colors, shades and shapes coming out of pearl farms. Most women who consider purchasing or receiving a pearl necklace as a gift will take into consideration the shape of the pearls, the luster, quality or nacre, and the price. China is producing vast quantities of freshwater pearls, and there is a lot of different variations to choose from.

There are other sources of freshwater pearls located in Japan and other countries. Chinese freshwater pearls are produced in vast quantities and dominate the world freshwater pearl market at this time.
It may seem confusing when you are selecting a freshwater pearl necklace because there are so many different shapes, sizes and quality types. I suggest following some simple rules. For pricing nothing beats Chinese freshwater pearls. They are easily found everywhere, online jewelry stores, eBay, retail jewelry stores and everywhere else.

Buyer beware pictures posted on the Internet are typically not what you will receive when you order. Vendors usually post the most fabulous picture of that type of freshwater necklace that they have, you'll usually get a lower quality than what's posted. So you will have to use your judgment about which quality online vendor you will pick. Most of these vendors have a 60 to 90 day money back guarantee.
Shape is another very important factor in choosing a pearl. Freshwater pearls  are not typically round, rather they are potato shaped. So if you think that you are buying a perfectly round freshwater pearl look again you may see that it's slightly off around and that's okay because no pearl is truly perfectly round. The rounder the shape the more valuable it is.
The luster is what makes a pearl beautiful, it needs to shine and radiate to the world. However Luster is a tricky phenomenon, it's known that Chinese freshwater pearls can appear very bright and shiny in some light situations and not at all in other types of light. Chinese freshwater pearls are not high luster pearls. You can find them with high luster, but they are much more expensive.

Blemishes. Most pearls have blemishes on their surface. Blemishes could be scratches. Little bumps or dips. This is extremely common and could be considered normal. The least amount of scratches the better and more valuable pearl. Gem quality pearls can be found in an almost flawless state. Good quality pearls on the other hand will have blemishes that are very hard to see and therefore will look like they are flawless something you see in a Tahitian pearl necklace. The level of blemishes on the surface of the pearl that you are willing to accept is dependent upon you and the price you want to pay. I've often bought freshwater pearl necklaces that did have flaws that were visible upon close inspection but from 3 feet away looked absolutely perfect.

The last characteristic I want to describe or get into is color. Pearl colors vary significantly. Typical colors will be white, cream, beige, pink, rose, peach and lavender. Many other color variations are possible. Most freshwater pearls have been highly processed, meaning that they have been bleached and dyed. This is actually very common. Lighter colored shades are the least likely to be processed. Highly processed colors such as chocolate pearls have been heavily processed.

The majority of people would likely expect cultured pearls to be white. It's true a large number of of the pearls out there now are white with diverse hue variants. But too much white can be monotonous. Luckily during the farming process all sorts of colors are produced. Typically the type of pearl you buy will come in many numerous shades and the colors will be natural and not artificially colored. Artificially colored pearls are usually affiliated with the cheaper quality.

The reason we buy pearls is simply because they look beautiful and have intriguing overtones. For example if a freshwater pearl necklace  was flat and dull  it would certainly not be fascinating to look at  all. Hence this is why pearls are so well-liked, because they have a sophisticated array of colors overtones and Hues.

 One particular thing to look for in the color the pearl is overtone color. Generally if you look carefully in a pearl, for example let's take the Akoya pearl. You should be able to see a moderate pink, blue, green or  silver color. This is what's called an overtone. And the more overtones you see the better the level of quality. Often these overtones can present themselves in a understated rainbow color of pink, blue, green, silver. This overtone rainbow of colors is referenced to as iridescence.
When you buy top level of quality pearls they tend to be very colorful. For instance in a light pink pearl you'll easily be able to see azure and pink overtones. And as you move the pearls they appear to transform color due to iridescence. You do need to see the pearls against a bright background under good direct light to determine the numerous lighting qualities of the pearl.
Top quality pearls will have the numerous different types of overtone colors. When determining  what color pearls to buy you will require to try on the bracelet or necklace and see how they look on you. Light pink pearls will tend to be the greatest priced. White pearls will be a little bit more affordable than radiant pink to pearls. Then you have light cream coloration, then cream color, then dark cream mix with yellow. In many cases you may be baffled because jewelry dealers will not have a consistent method for naming the color of their pearls, it's really up to the individual.
Pearls with blue and pink overtones are deemed top quality.

And can often be referred to as Tahitian  black pearl quality. Keep in mind we're only talking about Tahitian pearls. Other types of pearls such as Tahitian and south sea pearls  will have their own range of colors, hues and iridescence. As of yet there is no general consistent method of black  measuring pearl colors within pearl jewelry dealers. To look at a pearl for color put it against a white background that is not reflective.

Also look at the Tahitian pearl necklace for example, in various shades of light such as inside light, outside light and fluorescent light. If you possess a pearl necklace, bring it with you and often use that as a contrast to the pearl necklace you're looking at. See the color of pearls in the most neutral white lights you can commonly this would be at the middle of the day.

 This kind of light ads the very least quantity of artificial color. Keep this in thought when you go shopping for pearls as the lighting can be off and not right for observing pearls.

Well since this is my first blog I will keep things very simple.  My main interests are jewelry making specifically beads and the pearls.  If this is any interest to you I will be posting information about these topics one of the first things I have to learn is actually how to string a bead necklace or a pearl necklace I'm gonna watch a few videos and I will get back to you on how I did