Here’s Nick in a city in China that specializes in pearls of all varieties. It’s a fun process being surrounded by such beauty and choice. Only by going to different gem centers around the world can we cut out the middleman and offer more affordable quality, versus price. It’s easy to find an inexpensive gemstone, but weight and quality versus price is why Astrogems has been so successful for the last 39 years. We also sell natural seawater pearls which are considerably more expensive.

Over the years it is always extremely important to watch for wear and tear. Many individuals do not realize that pearls are anhydrous. Which means like opal they lose their water content over time. Generally it takes a couple of years for a pearl to dry out and consequently it’s important for me to buy them and hold them in a warm area for a couple of years. This way the pearls shrinkage and actual weight are more accurate. Though I love pearls, if a person has a challenging moon in their chart that needs strengthening then I almost always recommend a pure silver chain over a person getting just a pearl for their moon. Of course it’s different if they get a whole navaratna as this balances the receptivity to planetary influences and the individual’s karmic recordings more effectively.