The Pearl Shop, in St. Augustine, Florida, is in its second decade in America's oldest city. We have St. Augustine's most extensive collection of hand-made pearl and gemstone jewelry and offer the best prices in town. Almost all of our jewelry is made right in the shop at our custom bench, where you may join us in making jewelry. We are also the only location in St. Augustine for picking a pearl from the oyster. Our shop is located at the north end of Saint George Street, in the Arcade of Professional Artists and Craftsmen, near the Oldest Wooden School House and the City Gates. We are open seven days a week, closing only on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day. It has become a vacation tradition for many families, to come back to The Pearl Shop to pick another genuine Japanese Akoya oyster from our unique fountain and find one more beautiful pearl. Each oyster holds a beautiful salt-water pearl. The fun is in the anticipation of finding your pearl. The size and color of the pearl are a mystery; sometimes you may even find two pearls in one oyster. After you pick your oyster, we will open the shell and bring out the pearl. We clean and polish the pearl and measure the size. If you like, after we pluck your pearl from the oyster, we will make your pearl into a piece of jewelry while you watch. We offer dozens of settings in which to place your pearl, to make rings, necklaces, pendants, or earrings in Sterling Silver, Vermeil Gold, or 14Kt gold. The Pearl Shop specializes in hand-made pearl and gemstone jewelry. Our artist family makes jewelry daily, right in the shop using pearls, and gems such as:
	amber amethyst aquamarine citrine coin and keishi pearls coral garnet jade	jasper mother of pearl natural crystal Paua shell peridot tiger-eye turquoise ... and many others
We make custom pieces of jewelry upon request, repair fine strung jewelry, and retie pearl necklaces. If you need to replace a damaged or lost pearl earring, or make some piece of jewelry to match a favorite item, bring it to us. We also instruct on the history, culture, and care of pearls.
The Pearl Shop is the premier wedding jewelry source in St. Augustine. We offer wedding jewelry in sets or by the piece, handcrafted from pearls, gemstones, or Swarovski Austrian crystal. The bride can also design the jewelry for herself and her attendants with our help, or choose from hundreds of handmade pieces in our shop. We can help her design jewelry as gifts for her attendants to wear at the wedding and after, to remember the special day. And, we make quality bridal jewelry affordable. In 2006 we continue to transform our artistic direction. We now offer more styles and variety over a wider price range. Our "Be the Artist" bench is enjoyed by dozens of people each week, who want to learn to make jewelry. At our jewelry bench, you can design and make your own bracelets, anklets, necklaces or earrings. We have special pricing for youngsters, so they can be introduced to making jewelry as well. The jewelry you make includes the same premium pearls and gemstones that we use and includes sterling silver or 14kt gold-filled components. We can also bring a "Make-Your-Own-Jewelry" party to your home or club, and jewelry-making lessons can be arranged for small groups in the shop. FYI: Fresh-water and salt-water pearls are organic gems grown within oysters (and a few other mollusks.) Pearls are formed when a foreign object (like a tiny stone, bit of sand, or piece of shell) has made its way into the oyster’s shell. The oyster secretes nacre, a lustrous substance that coats the intruding object. As thousands of layers of nacre coat the intruder, a pearl is formed; this process can take from two to eight years (an oyster's useful life span). The most valuable pearls are perfectly symmetrical, large, naturally produced, and have a shimmering iridescence (called orient luster). There are many types of pearls, including natural pearls (made with no human interference), cultured pearls (pearls made by inserting a bit of a mother-of-pearl) into a living oyster or by inserting a bit of foreign tissue). We are always glad to tell the history of the pearl industry around the world, come in and lets share it with you. If you can't make it down to St. Augustine, we always make pieces of jewelry available directly from our shop for sale on our web site. Please click the Jewelry link to browse our selections and place your order. Email us about custom orders from your design or ours. Your satisfaction with all our jewelry is guaranteed with a 30-day money back guarantee.