Pearls have been
representing elegance and beauty for centuries. They remain an exceptionally
popular choice for jewelry pieces such as pendants for necklaces, earrings,
bracelets, etc. The jewelers of today use this gem to design classic and modern
styles of jewelry. Pearls are available in cultured as well as natural
varietals. They form when layers of nacre accumulate upon a foreign particle
that enters the shell of an oyster or mussel. With cultured pearls,
manufacturers insert a tiny bead-like substance manually inside the mollusk.
One should know that natural pearls are extremely rare. Humans harvested most
of the naturally occurring gems in the world, hence they are difficult to find
and can cost a fortune. Here you will learn about all the different types of
pearls that are available these days.
- Saltwater
Pearls: Mollusks produce these gems when a
manufacturer implants a foreign particle inside it. If you are searching
for a real pearl necklace, then you should visit Timeless pearl. Most of the real pearls come from saltwater bodies. The cultured versions of these gems generally come from the oceans of Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, and Tahiti. They may also come from specific Asiatic countries including China, Japan, and
Vietnam.
- Freshwater Pearls: Unlike saltwater pearls, these come from mussels that thrive in rivers, ponds, and lakes. Jewelers don’t design a real pearl necklace using these freshwater gems. They primarily come from China. Most of these pearls are white, but you will also find them in pastel colors such as pink, green, and more. They are mainly spherical but some of them assume oval and teardrop shapes as well. Despite being lustrous, they aren’t as shiny compared to saltwater pearls.
- Tahitian
Pearls: These are the cultured versions of the saltwater version. However, you shouldn’t believe that manufacturers culture them in Tahiti only. They come from many of the French Polynesian islands. The oyster that produces these pearls is called pinctada
margaritifera cumingi. Tahitian pearls are generally black, but they may also come in gray or chocolate colors. The black gems aren’t entirely black in reality. Some of them possess secondary hues too, such as green,
purple, or blue.
- Cultured
Pearls: Pearl manufacturers can create cultured pearls both in freshwater and saltwater. They come from several parts of the
world including Australia, China, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, and
Thailand. Unlike natural pearls, farmers insert a foreign substance inside the oyster or mussel. Cultured pearls are the ones that you mostly notice in the market because the real deal can be extremely expensive and rare.
- South
Sea Pearls: These are a specific type of saltwater pearl that comes from the oyster called pinctada maxima. The oyster is much larger than any other shelled creature that survives in freshwater bodies.
These gems are uniquely beautiful and they come from Australia, Myanmar,
the Philippines, and Indonesia. South Sea pearls are always larger than their counterparts and spherical.
To End
