Galatea Cultured Tahitian Pearl and Diamond Pendant in 14K

For the entire span of human history, mankind admired, even worshipped, pearls. In Persian mythology, they are called “the tears of the gods.” In some Muslim legends, the pearl is God's first act of creation. According to ancient Chinese legend, the moon holds the power to create pearls, instilling them with its celestial glow and mystery. The ancient Greeks thought pearls were dew from the moon collected by oysters that opened their shells as they floated on the sea at night. The beauty of cultured pearls comes from the orient, which is the soft iridescence caused by the refraction of light by the layers of nacre, and the luster, the reflectivity and shine of the surface. Pearl is a birthstone for June and the gem of the 3rd anniversary.

14K white gold is the most popular white precious jewelry metal. Its pale glow is the perfect setting for cool-toned gems. Since gold is naturally golden yellow in color, to make 14K white gold, 58.5% gold is alloyed with white metals, usually silver, zinc, palladium, or nickel. These metals also improve the hardness, durability and affordability of white gold jewelry, since pure gold scratches fairly easily. To get that bright shine, most white gold jewelry is also plated with rhodium, a platinum group metal.