June: The Month of the Pearl: Discovering Nature's Timeless Gem

 

June in New Zealand doesn't exactly roll in with sunny beach days and tropical breezes. It arrives with a chill in the air and a few extra layers (not that it stops some from proudly wearing shorts) and a strong temptation to stay indoors. But while winter wraps the world in grey, there’s one thing that refuses to fade into the background: the blue pearl.

This June, we’re celebrating the extraordinary world of pearls: exploring their fascinating origins, the deep symbolism they carry, and the unique story behind our Arapawa Blue Pearls, some of the rarest and most vibrant paua pearls from New Zealand.

Born from a rare New Zealand paua, these blue pearls don’t just settle for ordinary. Their colours are vivid, unpredictable, and entirely their own, much like nature showing off just because it can.

Are these shades a genetic accident? A beautiful mistake? Or simply the ocean’s way of reminding us that even in winter, life can be full of unexpected brilliance?

Whatever the reason, Arapawa Blue Pearls are proof that beauty doesn’t need good weather; it creates its own light. Choosing a blue pearl means choosing something unique, precious, and irreplaceable, much like the wearer themselves.

Types of Pearls

Pearls have long been the standard of classic beauty. While some may have hues of blue in them, such as in Tahitian or Freshwater pearls. Let’s be honest: no pearl throws colour around quite like our Arapawa Blue Pearls. While others dabble in blue, ours basically do a full runway show in it.

Akoya Pearls 

These are your classic pearls, the Audrey Hepburn of the pearl world. Perfectly round, flawlessly white or cream, and with a beautiful shine.

These pearls are grown within the oyster, a relatively small mollusc. These pearls are prized for their high lustre and perfectly round shapes, often considered the most brilliant among all cultured pearls. However, Akoya pearls are sometimes treated or dyed to enhance or alter their colours.

Akoya pearls are stunning, but they don’t offer the bold, vibrant character of a rare blue pearl or the opalescent magic found in Paua pearls from New Zealand.

Tahitian Pearls

Tahitian pearls are famous for their darker colours, often black, deep green, silver, or charcoal with peacock-like overtones. Less common overtones found in these pearls are green, blue and purple, but they are not bright.

Grown in black-lipped oysters, these pearls don’t mess around. Their colours are all natural, so no salon visits are needed. Akoya pearls sometimes try to fake the look, but Tahitian pearls raise one cool eyebrow and carry on.

Freshwater Pearls

Freshwater pearls are celebrated for their soft, pastel hues, often appearing in shades of white, blush pink, lavender, and peach. Rarely, freshwater pearls display deeper shades of gold, blue, and metallic overtones, but these are typically more muted than vivid.

These pearls are cultivated in freshwater mussels and are sometimes mistaken for Akoya pearls due to their similar classic white appearance, but they tend to be more varied in shape and colour.

While beautiful in their own right, freshwater pearls rarely achieve the vivid, vibrant shades seen in a genuine blue pearl, particularly the striking tones found in our rare blue pearls collection.

Arapawa Blue Pearls

At Arapawa Blue Pearls, we are privileged to work with one of nature’s rarest treasures: the Paua Abalone, a shellfish native to New Zealand’s pristine waters. Known for its shell, the Paua is a living rainbow, producing pearls that dance with shades of aquamarine, sapphire, sky blue, and even flashes of green, violet, and pink. Our Paua pearls from New Zealand are unlike anything else in the world.

Unlike traditional pearls, our Arapawa Blue Pearls are often compared to opals for their shifting, multi-coloured hues under changing light. Every glance reveals a new play of colour, a secret only nature could weave.

Blue is the rarest colour in the world of pearls, making our blue pearl collection all the more extraordinary. In symbolism, blue represents truth, tranquillity, courage, and trust. Qualities we believe every pearl enthusiast treasures.

Choosing one of our rare blue pearls means choosing a gem that holds the ocean's untamed spirit, crafted into timeless, sustainable pearl jewellery.

The Beauty of Uniqueness

No two pearls are ever alike, and that's part of their magic. Each Arapawa Blue Pearl tells its own story, shaped by its journey inside the Paua. Minor variations in colour, shape, and lustre are not flaws; they are marks of authenticity, individuality, and life.

When you choose one of our paua pearls from New Zealand, you're not just choosing jewellery. You're choosing a work of art, a natural wonder, and a reflection of the one-of-a-kind spirit of the person who wears it.

What Makes Pearls Unique

At the heart of every pearl’s beauty lies a remarkable natural process. Pearls form when an irritant finds its way inside a mollusc. In response, the mollusc secretes layers of nacre, the same substance that lines its shell, gradually building the glowing orb we treasure.

Natural pearls, formed without human intervention, are exceedingly rare today. Our sustainable pearl jewellery, crafted from carefully nurtured cultured pearls, allows us to share this incredible beauty with the world without harming precious marine ecosystems.

Pearls come in a stunning variety of shapes, sizes, and colours, each a reflection of the life and environment of the mollusc that created it.

A Pearl for Every Story

As June, the month of the pearl, graces us with its light, we are reminded of the beauty, rarity, and resilience that pearls represent. At Arapawa Blue Pearls, we invite you to discover a piece that speaks to your soul: a rare blue pearl, a sustainable pearl jewellery treasure, born from the wild heart of the ocean.

Find your light, even in winter, with the shimmering colours of our Paua pearls from New Zealand, and let every glance reveal a new dream.