As long as pearl jewelry have been known to people, they have been a highly sought commodity for their beauty. It's only in recent times however that the industry has taken the hunt for the perfect pearl to a whole different level. Today, the shiny orbs that we see on in display in jewelry stores have actually almost always been grown in farms. That's a far cry from the dangerous extraction and collection methods used before the invention of modern technology. In the past, not more than 100 years ago, the only way to retrieve pearls was by diving in lakes, floods and the ocean to pick them up, one at the time. The unfortunate divers who'se job it was to do this, were often poor and lured by the relative large sums they could get. The diver would sometimes have to dive as deep as 100 feet on one single breath of air. In order to preserve air and to stay submerged the longest, the divers would hold on to heavy stones on the way down. Naturally, this dangerous activity was reserved for the desperate or the powerless - in many cases slaves or extremely poor peasents. Today, this method is all but obsolete in most places of the world. The cheaper cultured pearls have become popular and are many times the only pearls available to the consumer. There are however still a few isolated areas that practice this old art of pearl diving. Some of the finest natural pearl speciments come from the gulf of Bahrain. Here, divers still risk their health to retrieve what are considered the top of the crop in the world. In fact, Bahrain wants no part of the sale of cultured pearls, banned from trade. Bahrain is one of the few places on earth that does an active job in trying to preserve the natural habitat and waters from pollution. It's an interesting story and one that continues to fascinate buyers around the world. Somehow, the beauty of the pearl grows when it's been retrieved from the depth of the ocean.

Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online. Pearls Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials. Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated. Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre. A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.

Detectives searching for a missing 7-year-old north akoya pearl jewelry Florida girl say they have found the body of a young child in a Georgia landfill.

Clay County, Fla., Sheriff Rick Beseler first said the body had not been identified but the parents of Somer Thompson, who has been missing multi-strands pearl necklace since Monday, have been notified. NBC affiliate WTLV reported that the body was female.

The body was found by Clay County detectives pearl strand wholesale who followed garbage trucks from the girl's neighborhood to Folkston, Ga., just north of the Florida border in Charlton County, Ga.

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Beseler said investigators searched through pearl earrings 100 tons of garbage before finding the partially covered body. He did not give any other details about the discovery.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said the agency was assisting with the investigation and an autopsy would be conducted wholesale pearl jewelry on the body Thursday morning in Savannah.

"We all need to say a prayer for Somer's christmas gifts family," Gov. Charlie Crist said at a press conference announcing the discovery.

Somer vanished on her mile-long walk home from school Monday in Orange Park, near Jacksonville.

She was squabbling with another child, and her sister told her to stop. The girl got upset, walked ahead of the group and wasn't seen again.

Orange Park is a suburb of Jacksonville just  christmas gifts south of Jacksonville Naval Air Station. The area where the girl disappeared is a heavily populated residential area with homes, apartment complexes and condominiums.

Investigators said before the body was cultured freshwater pearl discovered they suspected foul play in her disappearance.

"We want to find who did this and bring them to justice," the sheriff said.

Earlier Wednesday, the girl's parents made emotional pleas for their daughter to be returned home safely.

¡°Please bring her back to us,¡± Diena wholesale pearl jewelry Thompson said while choking back sobs during an interview from Clay County, Fla., with TODAY¡¯s Erin Burnett. ¡°She belongs with her family. She belongs with us. She belongs with her twin brother, please bring her home.¡±

To her daughter, who went missing Monday afternoon on her way home from school, Thompson directed another plea: ¡°Somer, you¡¯re not in trouble. I know you¡¯re scared. Just come home.¡±

Her father, Sam Thompson, who lives in wholesale pearl jewelry Graham, N.C., also pleaded for her safe return.

"Somer, your daddy Sam loves you unconditionally. Stay strong and don't give up the fight or the hope that we're going to be a family again. I love you," he said.

Joining Thompson on TODAY was Clay gemstone necklace County Sheriff Beseler, who has been coordinating a massive search for Somer that includes deputies, civilians and volunteers from a nearby military base on foot, on horseback and in helicopter. Dogs and divers have also been employed. His department issued an Amber Alert and had been working under the assumption that foul play was involved.

¡°We need a break in this case,¡± Beseler wholesale pearl jewelry told Burnett. ¡°We need a tip. We need a phone call. Somebody knows where Somer is. We need that person to call us.

She¡¯s creative. She¡¯s smart ... She likes to talk. She liked to be around people and kids. She likes to talk. She¡¯s just wonderful,¡± said her mother, who freshwater pearl added, ¡°This is not happening. It¡¯s just surreal.¡±

Somer is 3 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs 65 pounds and has long brown hair which was pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing a cranberry jumpsuit christmas gifts with pink striped sleeves and carrying a black, pink and white backpack with a skull and hearts on it when she disappeared.

Somer was walking home from Grove Park Elementary School around 2:45 p.m. on Monday with her twin brother, older sister and some friends when she pearl strand wholesale reportedly got in an argument and ran ahead. Her siblings expected to find her at home ahead of them, but when they arrived, she wasn¡¯t there.