Welcome to the exotic world of Shanghai Tai, one-of-a-kind jewelry featuring freshwater pearls of all colors, shapes and sizes.  I learned about pearls while living in China for two years.  Local and regional art I experienced during my travels throughout China sometimes influence my designs.  Since moving back to the United States, I have also taken up fusing glass, wire wrappng, precious metal clay and am beginning to add metal work.

Please visit my pieces currently for sale at:

wwww.shanghaitai.com

Zhou Zhong:  The Venice of China

About Pearls:

There are two kinds of pearls freshwater and seawater.  As the names imply, one comes from fresh water (lakes) and the other from salt water (the sea).  Either kind can be cultured, this means the oyster was induced to produce the pearl by introducing a foreign object (a small grain of sand) into it's shell.  The oyster produces a substance to coat the grain of sand to make it less irritating.  The substance builds up and produces the pearl.  

Pearls come in all shapes and sizes.  The most prized pearls are white, perfectly round, flawless with a nice luster.  However only a small percentage of pearls are like this.  Pearls of other shapes and colors can be very beautiful in addition to their exotic look.  Freshwater pearls naturally come in white, peach and a purplish/pink color.  All other colors are dyed or irradiated.  Freshwater pearls are often a little flatter in shape, but not always.  Of the sea pearls, Tahitian pearls naturally come in a dark silver or peacock color, while Austrialian pearls are naturally gold.  Real pearls are heavy for their size, and have a gritty feel when they are rubbed together.
 

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