Pearl engagement rings are a classy alternative to diamond engagement rings. And speaking of classy, let me tell you about the tooth test, which involves rubbing the pearl up and down your front tooth to determine if the pearl is real. Cultured and natural pearls will feel rough against a tooth, while imitation pearls will feel smooth.

The process of how a pearl comes to be is pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Pearls are created when an object such as a small rock enters an oyster or mussel. The oyster/mussel than covers the object with something called nacre and a pearl is eventually created. The amount of the nacre coating is dependent on the mollusk, the water composition, and the length of time that the irritant is left inside to develop. As nacre thickness increases, so does the quality and durability of the pearl.

Natural pearls are fairly rare and typically the whole process is helped along by man.... resulting in cultured pearls. The only difference between natural and cultured pearls is that with cultured pearls, the external irritant such as a small rock is purposefully added into an oyster/mussel by man, thus triggering the pearl creation process. The only other difference is that natural pearls are more expensive since they are more rare. Another way to categorize pearls is whether they are freshwater pearls or saltwater pearls. Saltwater pearls are more rare and hence, more expensive.

When people think about pearls, they typically visualize small, white round beads. Yet, unbeknownst to many, pearls come in a wide variety of sizes, colors and shapes. For instance, there are some pearls that are large, green and possibly even tear-drop shaped.