Move over diamonds, a new supreme gemstone is on the rise.

It was in late December 2020 when popstar singer Ariana Grande broke the internet when she announced her engagement with her real estate boyfriend Dalton Gomez. It wasn’t your typical celebrity engagement marked with a grand celebration. It was rather more of an informal announcement through Instagram photos captioned “forever n then some.”

What really caught the attention of the public, apart from the fact that Ariana Grande’s already engaged, was her unusual yet gorgeous custom pearl engagement ring. Typically when Hollywood celebrities make it to the engagement headlines, people would gush over their multi-carat diamond engagement rings. Who would even forget JLo’s blinding 20-carat emerald cut diamond ring? Although we’ve heard the engagement’s already off (hope she gets to keep that ring).

So it was really a breath of fresh air when an A-list celebrity like Ariana Grande would rock a pearl and diamond engagement ring. But unknown to some, Grande wasn’t the first pop culture force to wear a beautiful pearly white stone on her finger.

Oscar winner Emma Stone debuted her antique-styled pearl engagement ring way back December 2019. The ring was made by famous designer and jeweler Kataoka of Japan. Although the ring still includes several small side diamonds, the highlight of the whole engagement ring is its white pearl center stone. The pearl sits beautifully on the center of the golden ring band that is styled like a blooming flower.

Other famous celebrities that own a pearl engagement ring include Michelle Williams and writer Alicia Kennedy.

The sudden popularity of pear engagement rings might be attributed to the influence of the abovementioned celebrities. People might have thought that pearls have indeed a unique charm that is unmatched by other gemstones.

What Makes Pearl Engagement Rings Unique?

Pearl is considered to be one of the precious gemstones. However, it is somehow different in various aspects when compared to other stones. So how unique is it exactly?

1.     Origin and Formation

The most unique thing that can be said about pearls relates to its formation. It is the only precious gemstone that is formed and found within a living organism. If prized stones like  diamond and emeralds are formed and found deep beneath the earth, pearls on the other hand are formed inside a shelled mollusk or oyster.

The exact process of pearl formation is always interesting. When a shelled mollusk detects a threat or irritant inside its body, it releases or creates a pearl sac that seals it off. And after several months of nacre build up, the pearl is then formed. This can range or last long from at least 6 to 24 months.

From there, the pearls are harvested. It undergoes little to no polishing because most of the time, pearls develop in its top quality. So if you buy custom pearl engagement rings in your trusted stores in areas like Dallas, Texas, you are always assured to get the best quality of choices.

2.     Natural Pearls are Extremely Rare

There may be a lot of pearl engagement rings in the market but there are very few that come from wild oysters. For every several thousands of wild oysters, there are only very few that contain pearls. You can probably count this number within your hands, that is how rare it is!

So understandably, these natural pearls will also fetch a higher price compared to cultured pearls.

3.     Cultured Pearls

To address the demand for pearl engagement rings, scientists and jewelers found a way through cultured pearls. Around 99% of pearls in the jewel industry nowadays come from oyster farms. Through several carefully laid out techniques of human assistance, these shelled mollusks are able to produce pearls. When these pearls reach stores in Dallas, Texas in the form of engagement rings, they come at a relatively cheaper price when compared to pearls from wild oysters.

So if you want to take the route less travelled, perhaps choosing engagement rings with pearls is the action to make. There is nothing better than being unique.