Cultured Pearls

Just about any pearl you'll find today in a store, at a jeweler, or virtually anywhere else, is a cultured pearl.  Cultured pearls are an effort made by a pearl farmer in order to maintain the delicate balance of nature, while still responding to the demand for pearls in the jewelry marketplace.  To create the pearl, the farmers introduce a foreign object, such as a piece of tissue, or a mother-of-pearl bead, into the mollusk.  The automatic reaction of the mollusk is then to deposit layers of nacre around the object, in order to stop it from irritating.  As the nacre (the crystalline substance secreted by the mollusk) builds up, the pearl is created.

Different Types of Pearls

There are four different types of pearls: Akoya, Freshwater, South Sea and Tahitian.  Each pearl type is unique with the color, size and shape.

Akoya Pearls are the most popular pearl type.  They are cultured in pearls from saltwater mollusks from Japan and China.  Akoya pearls are popular for their luster and beauty.

Freshwater Pearls are best known for their whimsical shapes and wide range of sizes and colors.  They are cultured in pearls from freshwater mollusks in a lake, pond or river, mostly from China.  They are similar in look to the Akoya pearls, but are less expensive because they are generally smaller and less symmetrical. 

South Sea Pearls are larger pearls that come in a range of light colors.  They are are harder to cultivate and therefore more expensive.  The finest white South Sea pearls come from the tranquil waters of Australia, and the elusive Golden South Seas, the rarest of all are farmed mainly in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Tahitian Pearl is darker and larger.  They are traditionally called "black pearl," but their color can range from a metallic silver to the color of pencil lead.  They are very unique and expensive because of the complicated cultivation process.  The natural black color of these pearls come from the color of the oyster's black lips, but the can have bluish, purplish, or greenish overtones.  Black Tahitian pearls are native to French Polynesia.