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As long as pearl jewelry have been known to people, they have been a highly sought commodity for their beauty. It's only in recent times however that the industry has taken the hunt for the perfect pearl to a whole different level. Today, the shiny orbs that we see on in display in jewelry stores have actually almost always been grown in farms. That's a far cry from the dangerous extraction and collection methods used before the invention of modern technology. In the past, not more than 100 years ago, the only way to retrieve pearls was by diving in lakes, floods and the ocean to pick them up, one at the time. The unfortunate divers who'se job it was to do this, were often poor and lured by the relative large sums they could get. The diver would sometimes have to dive as deep as 100 feet on one single breath of air. In order to preserve air and to stay submerged the longest, the divers would hold on to heavy stones on the way down. Naturally, this dangerous activity was reserved for the desperate or the powerless - in many cases slaves or extremely poor peasents. Today, this method is all but obsolete in most places of the world. The cheaper cultured pearls have become popular and are many times the only pearls available to the consumer. There are however still a few isolated areas that practice this old art of pearl diving. Some of the finest natural pearl speciments come from the gulf of Bahrain. Here, divers still risk their health to retrieve what are considered the top of the crop in the world. In fact, Bahrain wants no part of the sale of cultured pearls, banned from trade. Bahrain is one of the few places on earth that does an active job in trying to preserve the natural habitat and waters from pollution. It's an interesting story and one that continues to fascinate buyers around the world. Somehow, the beauty of the pearl grows when it's been retrieved from the depth of the ocean.

Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online. Pearls Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials. Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated. Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre. A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.

Buying pearl jewelry can be fun, exciting and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of pearl jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality pearl jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store or online. Pearls Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are grown by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made with glass, plastic, or organic materials. Because natural pearls are very rare, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by oysters or mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pears. A cultured pearl's value is largely based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the quality of its nacre coating, which give it luster. Jewelers should tell your if the pearls are cultured or imitation. Some black, bronze, gold, purple, blue and orange pearls, whether natural or cultured, occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. Jewelers should tell you whether the colored pearls are naturally colored, dyed or irradiated. Clams, oysters, mussels and many other mollusks with limy shells are known to produce pearls. But very few kinds yield gem pearls of jeweler's quality. The pearl is an abnormal growth of mother-of-pearl, or nacre, imbedded in the soft bodies of these shellfish. It is built up, layer upon layer, in the same way as nacre is added to the lining of the growing shell and always has the same color and luster. For example, over the country, hundreds of good-sized pearls are found each year in the oysters we eat. Unfortunately these have no commercial value regardless of whether they have been cooked or not because they are dull opaque white or purple like the shell of the parent oyster. In recent times almost all pearls of gem quality come from the oriental pearl oyster which has a bright shimmering translucent nacre. A pearl starts growing when some irritating foreign substance such as a sand grain, bit of mud, parasite or other object becomes lodged in the shell-producing gland called the mantle. Pearls formed in the soft flesh where nacre can be added on all sides are most likely to be spherical and the most highly prized. By far the great majority are flattened or variously distorted and have little value. Size, color, luster and freedom from flaws are other essential qualities. Unlike other gems, such as diamonds, pearls have an average life of only about 50 years. In time the small amount of water in a pearl's make-up is lost and its surface cracks. Because they are mostly lime, necklaces which are worn often are injured by the acid secretions of the human skin.

Our 25th annual survey of pearl jewelry wholesale America’s largest private companies reflects the same turbulence that is rocking the publicly traded firms that make all the headlines. Seven companies on this year’s list are operating in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, including aluminum maker Aleris (taken private by Texas Pacific Group) and Reader’s Digest (by Ripplewood Holdings).

Private equity firms, which own one-third of the companies on our list, are scrambling to repair such souring investments. The State Street private equity index, which tracks investments made by wholesale pearl necklace 1,600 investment firms, was down 28% in the year ending March 2009. As punishment, private equity funds have seen the average amounts they raise from investors cut in half.

Yet the S&P, up 21% this year, has everyone thinking it’s party time again. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has its sights set on a stock offering for Dollar General (No. 29). Billionaire David Murdock is planning to spin off Dole Foods (a subsidiary of No. 37, Murdock Holding). The fractured Pritzker family wants to cultured akoya pearl cut in the public on its Hyatt Hotels chain (No. 104).

Not so fast. The number of U.S. public offerings has fallen from 42 in the first nine months of 2008 to 30 through the same time period this year. Only two firms from last year’s list, Select Medical ( SEM – news – people ) and Education Management ( EDMC – news – people ), have gone public this year.

In July Gores lost his bid for bankrupt auto freshwater pearl earrings parts maker Delphi ( DPHI.PK – news – people ). Platinum had spent three years on the deal, getting government approval to offer $3.6 billion, including $2.5 billion in financing from gm, in a salvage plan. But creditors, complaining they weren’t getting a fair shake, persuaded the bankruptcy judge to open the bidding. The lenders won, agreeing to pearl strand forgive $3.4 billion in Delphi debt, plus offering an additional $750 million in new financing. “It’s a tough subject,” says Gores, who claims that the group of lenders hijacked his plan. “We could’ve created a huge ruckus, but we were gentlemen.”

Gores has his hands full with the San Diego Union-Tribune, which he bought in May for an estimated $30 million, based on current industry multiples. Three days after the deal closed, Platinum laid off 192 people; 112 additional cuts came in August. Gores saw no other way: The newspaper (average daily circulation: 300,000) had less than $10 million in Ebitda last year on revenue of $225 million, down from $100 million on revenue of roughly $360 million in 2005. “The outlook was for an unprofitable 2009,” says a Platinum spokesman.

What makes Gores think he can wholesale coral jewelry revive a near-dead enterprise? He likes the market. San Diego is still relatively affluent and culturally conservative; few denizens read the Los Angeles Times. He also prizes the assets–a 500,000-square-foot headquarters and warehouse in Mission Valley, plus 50,000 square feet of offices in La Jolla, San Marcos and Carlsbad.

Three years ago it bought U.S. steel wholesaler PNA Steel from TUI AG, a German tourism company. Feralloy, one of PNA’s three units, was burning through cash, thanks in part to inefficient management. The various units were also fighting over the same customers. Thirty PNA executives attended a presentation arranged by Merrill Lynch to pearl jewelry introduce the company. This set off Gores’ operational radar: If it took that many people to explain the business, Platinum could probably thin out and refocus operations.

With no prior experience in the industry, Platinum analysts plunged into the world of steel for a month, grilling general managers of every distribution center about how they won and why they lost customers, where the bottlenecks lay, how steel prices moved. Gores’ mergers and acquisitions gang formed a plan to dominate the wholesale pearl earrings construction-beam industry and plotted three additional acquisitions that could help them get there.

Gores modeled the deal to absorb a theoretical 25% crash in steel prices the day after they took over. “Our analysis was based on [the assumption that] if the worst happens, can we survive,” he says. He bought PNA for less than the book value of its assets.

Platinum slashed executive freshwater pearl necklace  ranks and distribution centers, redirected sales efforts, hired industry veteran Maurice (Sandy) Nelson Jr. to unite the three warring divisions and made three key acquisitions. Within nine months PNA was the biggest distributor of steel beams in the U.S. In a highly leveraged deal, Platinum put up $19 million. Two years later it sold the company to Reliance Steel & Aluminum ( RS – news – people ) for $1.1 billion. Platinum’s net proceeds amounted to $512 million.

Perhaps nothing typified Gores’ moxie better than his furious attempt to grab Pilot Software (now a unit of SAP) from Dun & Bradstreet ( DNB – news – people ). Over a frantic weekend in May 1997 Gores scrambled to put a fresh gloss on his threadbare offices as he learned that a group of Pilot executives would fly out from Boston for wholesale pearl jewelry a meeting that Monday. “We thought, ‘Who the hell are these guys in suits from L.A.?’” recalls Philip Norment, who worked for Pilot at the time and is now a Platinum partner. “We went out to see if these guys were real.”

Gores knew his cramped eight-person Encino, Calif. headquarters wouldn’t cut it; they shared the building with akoya pearl jewelry a doctor’s office and a gym. He quickly sublet a corner lair in a sparkling Century City office tower, rented furniture and recruited his wife and other employees’ spouses to mind phones, pour coffee and pad the thin personnel roster. According to company lore, they slapped a freshly made “Platinum Equity” sign on the door just as the d&b group entered the lobby. Gores closed the deal that August.

Ten years later Gores has 100-plus transactions behind him. “We have a lot of very capable people, but if you make it bureaucratic, you’re not going to be fast,” he says. “If we lose speed, we become more of a commodity.” Still, Gores casts a wide net looking for acquisitions, employing 15 associates to scour for deals. His database manages contact information on 140,000 corporate executives, investment bankers, financial brokers and anyone else who might provide a lead. In freshwater pearl bracelet a typical year Platinum looks at 1,200 possible deals, researches half and pulls the trigger on perhaps 20. At any moment Gores is running a portfolio of 20 to 30 companies.

He wasn’t quite as lucky with the software company that handled billing and inventory for lumber outfits. The sterling silver jewelry  brothers sold it at a loss. But they learned a lot about salesmanship, distribu tion and customer service. Another key lesson: buy existing companies backed with real assets. As they worked side by side on a number of deals, the pair began butting heads. Alec says he became angry and depressed over their split in 1995; after that they sometimes competed for the same acquisitions. They’ve since patched up their differences. But a friendly rivalry persists. “Tommy took what I did and akoya pearl jewelry raised the bar to a whole new level,” says Alec. “Of course, I’m watching–and then I move the bar for him.”

Tom launched Platinum Equity out of his small Sherman Oaks home, writing out business plans on the ottoman in his living room. He cold-called business development offices looking for divisions up for sale. That’s how he found his first prospect–LSI, which generated computer graphics to re-create accidents for courtroom testimony–in 1996. Despite having good software, the company was gushing red ink as it tried to go national: Corporate offices in Chicago were out of touch with legal clients across the country; programs, often redundant, were getting written everywhere there were customers. Gores cobbled together $200,000 of savings and credit card debt and turned LSI upside down, redistributing management across the field offices and consolidating software writing to wholesale pearl jewelry one site in Los Angeles. He focused on existing customers and stopped hunting for new ones. Once it stabilized Gores began selling branches. Within six months LSI was off his books, and he was $5 million or so richer.

Over the next five years, between July 1996 and September 2001, Gores’ wholly owned fund (Platinum Equity LLC) made 32 acquisitions and realized $940 million on investments that totaled $226 million. These included plunges into call centers (Foresight Software), networking gear (Racal Electronics  ( RCALY.PK -  news  -  people )) and voice and data service (Williams Communications).