You can call 01667 453688 between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday to speak to us, or e-mail:
sales@giftpearls.co.uk
However, a few questions and their answers are below:


'I always thought 'pearls are pearly white'. How come there are so many colours?'
A 'natural' or 'wild' pearl is one that forms without any human intervention at all, in the wild. These are very rare. Hundreds or thousands of pearl oysters or mussels have to be gathered and opened, and thus killed, in order to find even one wild pearl, and for many centuries that was the only way pearls were obtained. This was the main reason why pearls fetched such amazingly high prices in the past.

A ‘cultured’ pearl is formed in a pearl farm, using human intervention as well as natural processes. A pearl is the colour of the ‘mother-of-pearl’, the nacreous lining of the creature (oyster, mussel) that produces it. Many colours of pearl occur in nature. Silver, pink, cream, pale gold, blue, champagne, grey, green, black and purple for example, but less frequently than white.
A good rule is: if the colour looks natural, it probably is. That said, as all the pearls we deal with are cultured, that is, farmed, the most effective way to enhance the colours of pearls is to feed the host mollusc with a pigmented diet – a bit like feeding yellow food colouring (turmeric, annatto) to hens to make their egg yolks yellower! However, for some more vivid colours, yes, they are dyed after removal.
Black pearls are very rare in nature. They are seldom truly black, but usually subtly-coloured, with tones of green, purple, brown, blue or bronze. Therefore most 'truly black' black pearls are dyed.

'Can I call you with my order instead of buying online?'
Of course. We're happy to discuss your order, any special requests and payment options, etc. Please call 01667 453688 or 07563540658 between 10am and 4pm - or anytime to leave a message. We'll always call you back.

'How do I arrange for repairs or re-stringing?'
Please send your things, with contact details and any instructions to:
North Star Import Ltd.
65 Harbour Street
Nairn
IV12 4NX
We'll let you know when they've arrived.