Aside from diamonds being every girl's best friend, pearls have also been astonishingly made into fine jewelries that can be competitively set alongside diamonds. From fashionable earrings, to magnificently glowing necklaces, pearls have set their own signature as one of nature's greatest wonders.
Basically, pearls are classified into two types namely sea pearls and freshwater pearls. Obviously, freshwater pearls are grown in lakes, ponds, and rivers while a sea pearl on the other hand are harvested from lagoons, ocean waters, and volcanic atolls. In culturing freshwater pearls, freshwater mollusks are needed which can produce 50 pearls at a time.
To make these pearls, minute pieces of mantle tissue is settled inside the mollusk. They are generally referred as pearl starters that are then eventually coated by nacre all throughout the growing process until it is harvested. In most cases, 4 to 6 years are needed for a freshwater pearl to become fully grown. On a different case, sea pearls are harvested with only one pearl per oyster. Such type of pearl ahs three different sub groups which is the Akoya, Tahitian, and the South Sea pearls. Among them, South Sea pearls require the longest period of time to nurture a pearl which usually takes up to 6 years. Smaller types of South Sea pearls on the other hand can be harvested after a two year cycle.
Sea pearls are noted for their lasting magnificence that can still be witnessed through generations. But unlike sea pearls, freshwater pearls only have a short and limited time frame for them to showcase their beauty. Furthermore, the luster of freshwater pearls fades fast until it becomes chalky or milky. This basic property of freshwater pearls gave them the title of "the pearls to enjoy now." Because sea pearls are proven to have higher quality and much better appearance, they usually come with a much higher price. One strand of sea pearls can have a price of $3,000 to $100,000 while freshwater pearls have a price of $300 to $1,500 per strand.
When it comes to their appearance, South Sea pearls appear much the same with each other unlike freshwater pearls that have a variety of appearances. South Sea pearls also have greater nacre quality appearing with a prominent halo and deeper iridescence.
Akoya pearls are white with no strong overtones of other colors like silver, pink, and rainbow. In some cases, an orient pearl is produced out of saltwater pearls through the perfect combination of nacre thickness and quality.
