Majorica
is a Spanish company that manufactures hand-made pearls called Majorica pearls. Now based in Majorca, the company was founded in 1890 in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. In 1990, ''

Gems & Gemology ''Gems & Gemology'' is a quarterly scientific journal published by the Gemological Institute of America. Each issue is devoted to research on diamonds, gemstones, and pearls. Topics include geographic sources, imitations and synthetics, treatment ...

'' described Majorica pearls as "the most widely marketed and meticulously manufactured imitation

earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...

today".

Production

Majorica imitation pearls are man-made on solid balls, likely made of glass, that are coated with a proprietary coating that is made in part from fish scales. The coated nuclei are then dried and polished, and then dipped in a chemical (possibly cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate) to harden the surface and guard against discoloration, chipping, and peeling.

References

Pearls Spanish brands {{Spain-company-stub