PEARL ARE CONSIDERED TO BE VAPID AND BRITTLE DECORATION. IT QUICKLY DARKS, CROSES AND REQUIRES SPECIAL CARE. BUT WHEN THE PEARL ARE STORED CORRECTLY, ARE ABLE TO KEEP THE ORIGINAL APPEARANCE AND PROPERTIES FOR HUNDREDS YEARS OLD.
In the assessment of the so-called tears of the southern seas, experts are unanimous - pearls, like other jewelry, can live a long and happy life, becoming a magnificent heirloom, inherited. By the way, not only my beloved daughter, but also my son. And in Russian history there are many examples of this ... Thus, in the spiritual letter of 1328 to the Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir Ivan Danilovich Kalita, a golden belt with pearls is described, which he blessed gave to his son Ivan. It is known that Dmitry Donskoy also inherited a belt embroidered with pearls, which his father gave him with a parting word: they say, "this belt is great gold from pearls, my father blessed me the Great Prince."
In the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin and in the treasury of the Diamond Fund, the regalia of Russian tsars and objects of male decoration, generously sewn with pearls, are still stored. Among the rarities are the Monomakh hat (symbol of the crown of autocracy in Russia), the Kazan hat (created around 1553 in honor of the capture of Kazan by the army of Tsar John IV the Terrible and the accession of the Kazan Khanate to the Moscow kingdom) and the Diamond cap (made in the 80s of the 17th century for Tsar Ivan V Alekseevich).
According to the author of the popular Encyclopedia of colored stones, an honorary member of the Society of Gemologists of Russia Vladimir Bukanov, the safety of jewelry qualities of modern pearls depends on the stability of its properties. For example, jewelry with pearls is often stored together with other gems, forgetting about its low hardness and the destructive effect of acids. Weak sweat is a weak acid, therefore it is recommended to wash pearls periodically in soap suds.
Extinct or low-grade pearls are refined mechanically and chemically.
The outer layer is removed by grinding and the pearl is kept for 24 hours in paraffin or bone oil, then polished with a mixture of alabaster, mother of pearl and white sulfate. Cracks are treated by soaking in warm olive oil.
During chemical reduction, the tarnished layer is carefully dissolved with weak acids. In the old days, pearls were fed to poultry for this purpose. Do the same with dark leathery pearls. Clarification of pearls is done under the sun or UV lamps for two weeks at 40 ° C in a 10% aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide. To restore the translucency of the pearl, it is immersed in fat tail fat, bone marrow, oil or a solution of vinyl acetate.
Spotted pearls are dyed black in a weak solution of silver nitrate, followed by irradiation under a UV lamp or in the sun. Gamma irradiation is also used, causing pearls due to the "burning" of organic matter, a bluish-gray or black color.
How to save pearls? 5 tips
- Pearls need to be wiped with a velvet to remove sweat, cream, perfume and tobacco smoke.
- A silk thread, on which pearls are strung, needs to be changed once a year.
- Avoid contact of pearls with cosmetics (varnish, cream, deodorant, perfume). "Chemistry" has a bad effect on nacre!
- Do not wear pearls in the heat. Bright light and heat make the surface shine.
- To prevent the pearls from drying out, keep water near. In the pool and shower it is better to remove it.
