Anna Lin

When “Jaws” first swept the nation the demand for shark’s teeth pendants soared out of control. Everyone wanted to feel as though they could carry with themselves the power of the shark. This may seem to be a ridiculous notion to those who believe that a tooth is simply a tooth when taken away from the giant, muscular mouth that it belongs to. It has long been rumored, however, that the teeth of a shark carry with them a great power of protection for those who are fortunate enough to wear them. It is perhaps believed that in some ways the strength and the spirit of the shark live on in these small remnants.

Every is familiar with the deadly potential of the great white shark, as well as any of the millions of sharks swimming around in the sea. The power of the South Dakotan prairie shark, however, is not as widely known. There are probably about a million people who would see that sentence and immediately reach for the Encyclopedia Brittanica to learn all that they could about the prairie sharks from the midwestern United States. There are no prairie sharks. Rumors of sand sharks have abounded from the Middle East, but the rolling plains of South Dakota boast no such creature. Why, then, are shark’s teeth so associated with this landlocked state?

It was believed that during the age of the dinosaurs there was a great seaway that spread across the United States, connecting the oceans and allowing various marine vertebrates to find their way across the country. This accounts for many of the strange fossil findings that scientists have located in these areas. It should seem impossible to find the fossil of an animal that was quite obviously a member of the marine community in a part of the country that was no where near a body of water large enough for these creatures to survive, yet across the midwest and up into Canada that is precisely what is occurring. It is believed that this body of water followed a path up through the Gulf of Mexico that spread across the midwestern United States up through Canada to the Arctic Ocean, bisecting the United States almost completely in half. It was through this passageway that these creatures were believed to have traveled.

During the late Cretaceous period it is believed that South Dakota was completely covered by water. The fossil findings by scientists who are excavating throughout the state appear to support this theory. There have been findings of the fossils of many large marine animals who are believed to have survived during this period buried in the hard ground beneath the plains This includes those that were believe to be the ancestors of the modern day shark; many fossilized teeth have been recovered, and it is these teeth that are being either forged or sold by merchants of South Dakota.

While the prairie shark does not really exist, there do appear to be some forms of marine life that were able to survive on what became the plains of South Dakota. It is because of this that the state was given a claim to fame as a distributor of shark teeth pendants.

Mother of pearl, also called nacre, is an iridescent layer of material, which forms in the shell lining of many mollusks. Mollusks create mother of pearl lining, in order to protect themselves and insulate them from getting a bacterial infection.  Mother of pearl is most commonly taken from the pearly lining inside of oysters and abalone. Many early cultures used mother of pearl extensively in jewelry and it became highly prized due to its iridescent quality and was often seen as a sign of wealth in some cultures.  From the modern women’s point of view, having a unique mother of pearl silver pendant provides an elegant alternative or addition to traditional pearls.

Mother of pearl silver pendants are often crafted by taking the first few iridescent layers that are inside the mollusk, these are then cut and sanded into the desired shape needed for the silver setting. Often the jeweler will use a bit of jewelers cement in the base of the setting to secure the mother of pearl before closing the setting. Mother of pearl is a fairly soft material and on the Mohs hardness scale it is only rated at a 3.5.   This makes it relatively easy to cut and carve, but it also makes it rather delicate and care should be taken not to wear away its iridescent layer, as it could cause your mother of pearl silver pendant to lose its luster.

While shopping for your mother of pearl silver pendant, you will notice that there is a wide selection of colors and hue’s to choose from, colors range from a natural white, cream and varying shades of brown. Sometimes mother of pearl is either bleached and/or dyed various colors in order to enhance the iridescent qualities present.

When you are shopping for mother of pearl silver pendants, it is a good idea to check and make sure that the mother of pearl inlay is snug within the setting. Check for gaps between the mother of pearl and the silver and avoid those that do have a gap. If a setting is too loose you will risk losing the mother of pearl from its setting. All mother of pearl silver pendants will have a silver hallmark stamped usually on the back of piece, the most common is a .925 mark.

Counterfeit mother of pearl is not common but does happen. Plastic or a combination of plastic and mother of pearl has been used, and usually the price is a good indicator. Counterfeit mother of pearl also does not reflect light as well as genuine mother of pearl and will tend to look dull.

When you have chosen your mother of pearl silver pendant, it is important to take some steps to ensure your piece will last a lifetime. Storing your mother of pearl silver pendant away from other jewelry will ensure that it will not be scratched and wear away the delicate luminous layers. You may want to keep it in a separate compartment of your jewelry box or wrapped in a pouch to provide some protection.

To clean your mother of pearl silver pendant, using a soft Jewelers cloth should remove any tarnish but never submerge the piece into jewelry cleaner, as this can dissolve the cement used in the setting. A trip to the jeweler to have it professionally cleaned once a year is a good idea because at that time, the jeweler will also check the setting.

High quality Mother of pearl silver pendants, will give you many years of joy and beauty with minimal care and will be a welcome addition to any jewelry wardrobe.