ALL ABOUT
PEARLS
NATURAL VS CULTURED
NATURAL PEARLS
A pearl is produced by a living organism, which makes it an organic gem.
A natural pearl forms in a pearl-bearing mollusk with no human intervention or assistance.
Almost any mollusc can produce a natural pearl. Natural pearls form accidentally in the interior of molluscs without interference from man. Molluscs are an invertebrate with a soft unsegmented body, usually protected by a shell in one, or two, pieces. Most molluscs live in, or near, water. Natural pearls may be nacreous or non-nacreous and come from either salt-water or freshwater.
“Pearls don't lie on the sea shore. If you want, you must dive for it.”
— Chinese Proverb
“Without the irritating grain of sand, there would be no pearl.”
— Randi G Fine
CULTURED PEARLS
A cultured pearl is a pearl created by an oyster farmer under controlled conditions. Cultured pearls are formed in molluscs with the assistance of man. However, this human intervention should only stimulate the mollusc to produce a pearl formation and the substance formed should only be that normally produced by the mollusc for form the shell or a natural pearl.
Cultured pearls can be farmed using two very different groups of bivalve mollusk: the freshwater river mussels, and the saltwater pearl oysters.
FRESHWATER
Freshwater pearls are cultured from the freshwater river mussels called Hyriopsis Cumingi.
These pearls are produced in Japan, United States of America and China.
Size: 3 to over 10mm
Shape: Round, semi-round, oval, rice,
button, drop, baroque
Colour: Three basic colours
(orange, purple and white)
SOUTH SEA (saltwater)
The main culturing areas for the Silver and Gold-lipped pearl oysters are Australia and Indonesia, followed by the Philippines. Though the oyster species is the same – Pinctada maxima – there are differences between pearl culturing in Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. In Australia large sized and high quality pearls over 10mm are cultured using the Silver-lipped oyster, while in Indonesia many smaller sized cultured pearls of below 10mm are cultured. In the Philippines many golden pearls are cultured using Gold-lipped oyster.
Size: Over 10mm is the most popular.
Recently smaller sizes (8, 9mm) have appeared.
Shape: Same as Akoya cultured pearl.
Nacre thickness: Thick nacre
Colour: Silver, silver pink, pink, grey,
cream, golden and yellow.
AKOYA (saltwater)
Akoya pearls are from an oyster called Pinctada Fucata. Farmed in Japan, China and
Vietnam. Recently culturing has also
started in Dubai. Compared with other
pearl oysters the Akoya oyster is rather small.
Size: 2 -10mm. 6 and 7mm are the most popular.
Shape: Round, semi-round, oval, button,
drop, semi-baroque, baroque and circle.
Nacre thickness: Minimum is around 0.3mm.
Colour: Pink, green pink, silver pink,
cream pink, white, green, cream, gold.
TAHITIAN (saltwater)
French Polynesia is the main country for producing black cultured pearls using the Black-lipped pearl oyster called Pinctada Margaritifera. However, culturing areas are expanding to Fiji, New Caledonia, and the Cook Islands.
Recently smaller sized black cultured pearls of below 10mm are on the increase.
Size: Over 10mm is the most popular.
Recently smaller sizes (8, 9mm) have appeared.
Shape: Same as Akoya cultured pearl.
Nacre thickness: Thick nacre
Colour: Black, green, brown, blue,
grey, peacock, red
Freshwater cultured pearl