FINDINGS:

Sterling Silver.

14K Gold Filled: It is a layer of 14K gold that is permanently bonded to a core of base metal (brass or cooper) using heat and pressure.. Do not confuse golf filled with gold plate.  Gold filled is a lot more durable, longer lasting, and will NOT turn your skin green!  It's ideal for people with sensitive skin and will not cause irritation.  Gold filled jewelry can last you a life time if taken care of properly. 

PEARLS

Cultured Pearls: Fine quality saltwater pearls from the Akoya Oyster (Pinctada Fucata) mainly cultured in cold ocean waters in Japan. These pearls are round and their natural colors normally range from white to cream, with light pink, green or silver overtones. Only 30 to 35% of the oysters will produce a pearl and only a small fraction will be fine quality pearls. That is why Cultured Pearls are costlier than Freshwater Pearls. Cultured pearls will always be a classic in every woman's wardrobe.

Freshwater Pearls: Lovely pearls that are mainly grown in China in mussels in rivers, lakes and ponds. They tend to be more irregular in shape and more varied in color than saltwater pearls. The mussels or oysters can produce up to 12-20 pearls in each shell.

Tahitian Pearls: Large, fine quality natural black color pearls cultured mainly in French Polynesia or Cook Islands in the large Pinctada Margaritifera (black lipped oyster). Tahitian Pearls usually start at about 9mm in size. Pearls over 14-15mm are consider very large and very rare. They come in different shapes: from baroque to button to drop to round. The rounder, the costlier. Tahitian pearls are rarer as well since only a small number of oyster will survive to produce a round fine pearl. They come in a very attractive variety of different colors from black to green to gray to bronze to light silver. Matching black Tahitian pearls is a very difficult task, since very few are alike. All Tahitian strands, even in the high five figure price range, still will have a few minor imperfections detectable with the naked eye. Tahitian Pearls are absolutely stunning and make gorgeous jewelry.

*Pearls have unique characteristics which determine their rarity and value:

Luster: Is the shine on the surface of the pearl that reflects light. Luster is determined by the thickness of the nacre and is greater if the pearl is left underwater for a longer period of time.

Color: The natural color of pearls varies greatly depending on the specie of the oysters. Black Tahitian pearl color varies greatly from black to green to eggplant to different tone of silver.  Akoya pearl color is mainly white with overtones going to cream, to pinkish, to silver (only a very small number will be light golden or light silver). Freshwater pearls also come in an array of different colors. Please note: all black cultured akoyas and freshwater pearls on the market today are safely and permanently color enhanced, with beautiful exotic results. Only black Tahitian pearls are naturally black!

Shape: Roundness is very important for Akoya pearls. The roundness depends on how long a pearl is left in the oyster underwater because of water friction that can work it into different shapes. Pear, button, baroque and circle pearls make very attractive jewelry as well. Baroque pearls are also sought after because of their unique shapes and quirky character.

Size: The larger the pearls the rarer and more valuable they became. Price increases drastically as the size increases. Advice: in order to reduce the price, reduce the size.