Pearls have always been women’s favorite jewelry. Wearing pearls can not only brighten your skin tone and highlight your noble, elegant, and generous temperament but also show your own taste. Pearls are elegant and elegant, but they are very delicate and have a certain lifespan. After decades or hundreds of years, many precious pearls will turn yellow and lose their original luster, which will affect daily wear. So, why do pearls turn yellow? What causes pearls to turn yellow? Below, we will answer these questions for you.
First, we need to understand the composition of pearls. Pearls are produced from pearl oysters and are an organic gemstone. Pearls are composed of aragonite (also called aragonite), glutamic acid, 17 other kinds of amino acids, 39 kinds of trace elements, organic matter, and water. Aragonite accounts for more than 90% of it, and the main component of this aragonite is CaCO3, as well as a small amount of trace elements, proteins, and amino acids. Since the chemical composition of aragonite is very unstable, once the pearl is exposed to the air for a long time, the nacre layer will be easily oxidized, and the accumulation method of Ca+ in the aragonite structure will change, causing aragonite to often transform into Calcite. Although aragonite and calcite are both polymorphs of calcium carbonate, the crystal lattice of aragonite is different from that of calcite, so the shapes of the crystals are also different. This is one of the main reasons why pearls turn yellow.
At the same time, the reason why pearls are so precious and dazzling is that the water in their bodies plays a vital role. Modern research shows that the main component of pearls is at least 2.23% water. In daily life, if pearls are exposed to the air for a long time, the water in the pearls will evaporate, and the pearls will become dull and lose their original luster. This is one of the reasons why pearls look different.
The pearl necklace is very beautiful and delicate. You should treat it as your friend or lover, love, cherish, and care for it so that it can always be elegant and noble. Pearls will gradually change in nature, just like people will age slowly. This is an irreversible natural law. But under normal circumstances, it takes sixty, seventy to one hundred years for pearls to turn yellow.
Consumers who own pearl jewelry don’t have to worry too much about pearls turning yellow because as long as we know how to care for and maintain pearls in our daily lives, they will not turn yellow easily. At the same time, not all colors of pearls are easy to turn yellow. So, which colors of pearls are prone to turning yellow?White pearls are relatively easy to turn yellow because white itself is a pure color and cannot tolerate a little impurity. A slight discoloration can be seen, while dark-colored pearls such as black pearls, purple pearls, and golden pearls Pearls don’t turn yellow that easily.
If the pearls really turn yellow, it is best not to try soaking them in dilute hydrochloric acid. Because we are not professionals and cannot control the pH accurately, we may lose more than we gain in the end. Therefore, it is recommended that consumers send their pearls back to the warranty office and let professionals handle it for us. It is still necessary to take more care of pearls in daily life, such as protecting against acid and alkali oils and avoiding direct washing with water. When not wearing, it is best to wipe the surface of pearls clean with flannel to keep the moisture away. Try to avoid direct exposure to the sun and do not leave it for a long time. In the velvet box, you should take it out and wear it occasionally.
