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BEST PRICE GUARANTEE: If you order any item today then see it at a lower price on our website (up to 20/12/2023), tell us and we'll happily refund the difference (Terms)

What Are Pearls

Pearls are wonderful gifts of nature, with a charm that has captivated mankind for thousands of years. They are the only gem created by a living creature, and have a natural beauty that simply cannot be matched by artificial processes.

Yet the very gems that enchant us, come from something that was irritating, or even painful, to its host mollusc.

How pearls are formed

Real pearls are formed when a foreign body gets inside the shell of a seawater oyster or a freshwater mussel. Contrary to popular belief, this is not usually a grain of sand, as the mollusc can easily wash these back out. The irritant seed or nucleus of a natural pearl is much more likely to be debris from the seabed that was taken in during filter feeding, or a parasite that has found its own way into the shell. If it cannot be washed back out again, then the mollusc sets about coating the irritant to make it smooth, in order to protect its soft internal tissues from harm.

Nacre

This coating is called nacre (pronounced nay-ker), and is the same substance that you find on the inside of a shell – hence the term ‘mother of pearl’. Nacre is made of the same mineral compound that we use to make bones and teeth. Over time, the nacre forms multiple concentric layers of aragonite crystals, bound together with an organic ‘cement’ called conchoilin. As these layers build up around the irritant, a pearl is formed.

It is this multiple layer construction that gives pearls their unique visual appeal, playing with the light to create mesmerising iridescence, lustre and colour overtones through interference and refraction.

In the wild, less than one in ten thousand oysters will contain a natural pearl created in this way, making natural pearls highly prized and incredibly valuable. Fortunately, Absolute Pearls can offer you cultured pearls, which are still grown within a mollusc, and which have all the ethereal beauty of a natural pearl, at a fraction of the price.

Terms & Conditions

Terms for 'SANTA20' Discount Code:

  • Expires 11:59pm on Monday 11th December 2023.
  • Can be used on any jewellery item EXCEPT any item that is already discounted (shown by a red coloured price with the original price crossed out).
  • Only valid for online purchases.
  • Discount is only applied to the product cost and not to gift wrapping or upgraded delivery charges.
  • Each code cannot be used in conjunction with any other Absolute Pearls discount code. (Only one discount code can be used for any one purchase)
  • The Discount Code must be entered into the 'Discount Code' field and the 'Apply Code' button clicked to apply it. It is the customer's responsibility to ensure the code has been applied prior to proceeding and paying for the order.
  • Any discount code cannot be applied retrospectively.
  • This offer may be withdrawn at any time without notice and is subject to availability.

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Terms for Best Price Guarantee:

  • If you buy any product from Absolute Pearls between 4th November 2023 to 20th December 2023 inclusive and subsequentially find that same product offered at a lower price on the Absolute Pearls website on or before 20th December 2023, we will happily refund you the difference.
  • Product discounts and available discount codes will be used to determine the lowest price available of any item on any given day and do not include postage or gift wrapping charges.
  • This best price guarantee does NOT apply if you fail to use/successfully apply the code in the checkout (for whatever reason) the best available discount code available on the day and which are available on the website banners and the New Subscribers mailing list sign up box. If in doubt, please email us on service@absolutepearls.co.uk or call 01516257688 for guidance & information on discount codes.
  • To claim, you simply need to email us (service@absolutepearls.co.uk) on the same day when you see the lower price, and include the following details: your name, your order number, the product code number and the date and lower price you saw on the Absolute Pearls website. Please also send us a screenshot or photo of said product and lower price.
  • If the same product (same SKU number) is offered at a price lower than you paid, we will refund the difference to you by the end of December.
  • The 'Best Price Guarantee' only applies to the Absolute Pearls website (www.absolutepearls.co.uk)

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