Did you know that most pearls used to come from saltwater molluscs? Freshwater pearls were rarer and less suitable for items of jewellery. For one thing they’re less round and they don’t have as high a lustre as certain types of saltwater pearls. With the advent of cultured pearls however, freshwater pearls have found a new lease of life. Their odd shapes and colours are increasingly popular because jewellery design allows for more variety than ever before.

Saltwater pearls are cultured differently to freshwater pearls. You may know that pearls are formed when a foreign object is inserted into the pearl, for example a bead. Nacre grows around the bead to form a pearl. In freshwater pearls instead of a bead, a small piece of tissue is inserted instead and the nacre grows around this. The tissue isn’t round and therefore the resulting bead is an irregular shape.

Even though freshwater pearls are irregular that doesn’t mean they’re of a lower quality. Because they’re completely made of nacre and don’t have a bead in the middle, they are actually very durable.

There’s no set way of grading pearls although many retailers use a common system. To a large extent it comes down to personal taste. You may prefer your jewellery in a classic design with round or teardrop shaped white pearls, or you may prefer a necklace made of irregular and multi-coloured pearls. The choice is endless and because there are so many different varieties of pearls, you’re sure to find something you like.

We may be in the middle of a credit crunch, but the gold jewellery market is buoyant with gold a better investement than ever.

As the value of currencies fluctuates, more and more people are putting their money into gold. It has a special status as a sort of universal currency - valued the world over, gold is a steady investment and unlike numbers in a bank account, you always know where your money is!

Of course if you invest in gold you’ll only invest in the best - at 750 we only sell 18 carat gold jewellery so we understand the need for timeless quality. Take a look at our collection to find out more.