About Pearl

Pearl Type

Akoya Pearls:
Akoya pearls are bead-nucleated cultured pearls produced primarily in Japan, China, Vietnam, South Korea and Australia. The akoya oyster is the smallest pearl-producing oyster used in pearl culture today, so akoya pearls also tend to be small, ranging in size from about 2 to 11 millimeters. They also tend to be the most consistently round and near-round pearls, making them ideal in terms of matching for multi-pearl jewelry such as strands and bracelets.

Akoya pearls are classic white pearls and typically have the highest luster and greatest shine of all cultured pearls. The most common size and the best value is between 7.0mm - 7.5mm with a sharp jump at anything 8.0mm and above. The Akoya pearl is either white or cream in body color and typically have a rose, cream or ivory overtone; Akoya pearls may also be treated to achieve a black body color.

Freshwater Pearls:
Freshwater pearls come from freshwater mussels . Freshwater pearls come in various pastel shades of white, black, pink, peach, lavender, plum, purple, and tangerine, depending on the type of mussel. The typical size of freshwater pearls is 2mm - 16mm with 7mm - 8mm being the most common.

Freshwater pearls cover a wider range of colors and shapes than any other pearl type. Originally these pearls were marketed as a lower quality, inexpensive alternative to Akoya pearls. For this reason, jewelry designers traditionally used freshwater pearls for pieces that favored design over the gems themselves. However, since the 1990s, a class of freshwater pearls that are round and lustrous have emerged which rival Akoya pearls in both quality and value. Freshwater pearls cover the widest range of options for pearl buyers in size, shape and color.

South Sea Pearls:
South Sea pearls are among the largest commercially harvested cultured pearls in the world. The average size of a South Sea pearl is 13 mm, with most harvests producing a range of sizes from 9 mm to 20 mm. The South Seas lie between the northern coast of Australia and the southern coast of China. These waters are the native habitat of a large oyster that grows up to 12 inches in diameter, and can be nucleated with a much larger bead than other saltwater oysters such as the akoya.

South Sea pearls have several distinct characteristics that are unique to this gem. The nacre is unusually thick, ranging from 2 - 6 mm, compared to the 0.35 - 0.7 mm of an akoya pearl. South Sea pearls have a unique, satiny luster that comes from the rapidly deposited nacre and warm waters of the South Seas. South Sea pearls also have a subtle array of colors; typically white, silver, and golden, that are rare in other pearl types.

Tahitian Pearls:
Tahitian Pearls come from the warm waters of the South Seas and are grown in a Black-Lipped oyster.. This oyster itself is quite large - sometimes over 12 inches across and weighing as much as 10 pounds - which often results in much larger-than-average pearls. The pearls are unique because of their natural dark colors. Most "black" Tahitian pearls are not actually black, but are instead silver, charcoal, or a multitude of colors with the dominant color being green. Truly black pearls are among the most beautiful pearls in the world, and are extremely rare.They are the only pearl to achieve a black body color naturally and are typically very large(9mm - 16mm). Tahitian pearls although mostly dark can come in a wide range of hues, including black, gray, silver, green, blue and purple.

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