Pearls are a beautiful, valuable gemstone, and have been since ancient times.
Most people do not think of pearls as being priceless like they would a fine ruby or diamond, but that’s not actually the case.
The value of pearls is determined by a variety of factors, including size, color, and quality. Their price can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands, making them a very valuable gemstone indeed.
If you’re considering purchasing pearls, it’s important to do your research and know what you’re looking for.
This way, you can be sure to get the best value for your money.
In this article, we will discuss the real value of pearls and how to determine their worth.
Table of Contents
What Are Pearls and Where Do They Come From?
Pearls come from marine oysters and freshwater mussels.
They are formed whenever an irritant intrudes into their shell as an attempt to protect their fragile body.
The oyster, or mussel, secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin which are the materials that also happens to make up its shell. Pearls come either from freshwater mussels or saltwater oysters.
Natural pearls are a rare find, about 1 in 10,000 oysters will have a pearl in them which is why natural pearls are far more expensive if you do find one.
Culturing pearls, whether freshwater or saltwater, is the primary means that 95% of pearls are harvested regardless of region.
The Different Types of Pearls
Because there are dozens of different types of pearls that can be found all over the world, their value will differ based on the quality of each individual pearl. Pearls can be categorized first by type.
- Saltwater pearls, which are formed in oysters in oceans and are harvested in regions such as Australia, Tahiti, Thailand and Indonesia. These take much longer to form and have the best quality and luster. They are far more expensive, especially if they are naturally formed rather than cultured.
- Freshwater pearls are the second type, and they are grown in mollusks in lakes and rivers. These can be found most commonly in China, Australia, India, the US, and Japan. These take a shorter period of time to form and are far more abundant. Freshwater pearls are not as lustrous and are smaller than saltwater pearls, but they are more affordable. Nearly all freshwater and saltwater pearls found on the market are cultured.
Let’s look at some different kinds of pearls that fall within these two types:
Baroque Freshwater Pearls
These pearls are grown and harvested in a short time and do not grow very large unless the farms want a wide range of sizes. These vary from around 2 mm to 15 mm and come in white, cream, pink and lavender shades of colors.
Sometimes black pearls can be found in the freshwater baroque variety, but these are usually dyed to get their color.
These pearls are the least expensive to buy due to their abundance and appearance.
Baroque freshwater pearls do not have the luster that saltwater pearls will have, regardless of both being cultured.
Saltwater Akoya Pearls
These are the most abundant of the saltwater pearls and are produced in Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea.
The best of these come from Japan.
Because these are the most abundant, they are also the most affordable if you are looking for a strand of saltwater pearls.
They have excellent luster and are the most well known types. Prior to the 1920’s, Akoya pearls were so rare and expensive that only the privileged elites could afford to buy them.
Once the practice of culturing began, this brought the prices down and made them affordable to most people who wanted them.
Akoya pearls are found in white, gray or cream, pink, silver or will have some green overtones.
Black Akoya are not found in nature, so if you do find them, they will have been dyed and even marketed falsely as being “Tahitian” pearls.
South Sea Pearls
South Sea pearls are the most prestigious of all the pearl varieties.
They come in two main colors of white and gold and are also the largest of all pearl varieties.
They have an excellent luster and color and are in high demand over the other types of pearl choices. Most of these come from Australia, Philippines and Indonesia.
They can grow to be 20 millimeters in diameter although the most common size sold is around 10 millimeters.
These pearls can be found in other colors, but those will likely be dyed. They are often irregularly shaped rather than perfectly round.
Tahitian Pearls
Tahitian pearls are really the only naturally dark pearls on the market. They are quite popular and are one of the most sought after varieties.
These, like the south sea pearls, grow very large and they stand out more than other pearl varieties due to their unique colors and sizes. Tahitian pearls come in peacock colors and spectrums of colors that range from dark gray, green and charcoal too.
They also come in a variety of shapes which range from round to baroque, with the round shape being the most expensive.
They display more color and shimmer than many types due to the ability of light to reflect from the various surface shapes.
Keshi, Coin and Mabe Pearls
These are three other distinct types of pearls that can be either freshwater or saltwater in origin, but the unique part of them is their process of formation which can significantly affect their value.
- Keshi pearls have no standard shape and are free-form in appearance. They can be long and thin, or wildly irregular because they can form without a nucleus. They can be round, square or oval too.
The luster in these pearls is very high because they are composed of mostly nacre and the irregular shapes cause light to reflect. Colors include white, cream and lavender. These pearls give plenty of room for creative expression due to their free-form shapes.
These are the “rejects” of the pearl farms when attempting to culture fails. The failure may go unnoticed and thus you end up with a Keshi pearl which is now considered rare. - Mabe Pearls get their name by how they are grown rather than by what type they are. They are flat on the back unlike normal spherical pearls, making them a “half pearl” so to speak.
Because they sit flush in mountings and against your body, they are often sought after for that alone. They can grow quite large giving you the feeling of having a huge South Sea pearl.
They are sometimes known as “blister pearls” and come in a range of colors though white and gold are the main ones. - Coin pearls get their name because they are cultured to be flat and look just like the shape of a thick coin. These are often dyed and are relatively inexpensive. These pearls are freshwater grown and are typically the size of a penny.
Factors That Determine How Much Pearls Are Worth
Now that you know all about the different types of pearls, it’s time to look at what factors will affect the value of a pearl.
The following are all things that you need to consider when trying to place a value on a pearl:
Origin of the Pearl
The saltwater pearl is considered the most desirable, but the place where it was cultured also has an important marketing factor. Marketing any type of pearl will guarantee that it will gain favor and the price will rise.
When advertising for “Tahitian” or “South Sea” pearls, the success in marketing has made the prices flourish regardless of them being cultured, rather than naturally found in an oyster.
Rarity of the Pearl
Are the pearls cultured?
Are they very large?
Do they have a natural color such as a deep gold with excellent luster?
These factors will determine, in spite of marketing, whether or not you will be paying a premium for your pearls.
A pearl that is found in the wild, that is, without man made culturing interventions will be very rare even regardless of shape or color, but especially if it is large.
Probably the rarest pearl that you will find (and is never mentioned because of its rarity) will be the Abalone pearl, which cannot be cultured at all due to them being hemophiliacs.
A hemophiliac is an animal that cannot form a nacreous layer (clot) to protect the nucleus, so any attempt to culture them will fail.
These pearls can be found at the rate of 1 in 100,000 abalone and are usually shaped like a shark tooth due to being formed in the gonads. If the pearl is symmetrical, it will be more expensive, and if it has the desired iridescent multi colors of pastel pinks and purples, it will be even more expensive regardless of size.
Pearl Grade
Unlike other gemstones, there is no accepted standard or system of grading pearls, although the Tahitian pearls do have a standard of the thickness that the nacre must meet.
The grading scale used in the US will range from AAA to A, with triple A being highest.
Unfortunately, the very people assigning a grade to the pearls are the vendors that harvest and sell them…so there is “skin in the game” (conflict of interest) and the grading will reflect this fact.
The best person to “grade” a pearl is yourself.
Look at them and see if they have the color, size, and luster that you want to find in a pearl or strand. Then you can determine what you are willing to pay for them…or not.
FAQ’s About The Value of Pearls
How can you tell how much pearls are worth?
This is totally subjective to the seller and the buyer very much like anything that does not have a standard in the trade. Pearls, because the vast majority of them are cultured, are only worth what the market will bear, otherwise they just sit unsold.
Which color pearl is the most valuable?
This is totally subjective, but if you were to go by trends, the color of the South Sea gold and the iridescent dark greens of the Tahitian pearls variants seem to be the most sought after, and therefore, the most expensive.
Which pearls are most valuable?
The rarest of pearls is the Abalone pearl and they would qualify as being the most valuable.
The trouble with assigning value with these particular pearls is that they are so rare that you won’t find them in most stores regardless of how popular or expensive the store is.
Most people confuse the natural abalone pearl with the abalone “shell”.
This is not the case with this rare pearl.
It is not a part of the shell, although it does contain the same exact colors found in the shell.
If you actually do find the rare abalone pearl, the person who has harvested it usually has no idea of the value because most jewelry stores have never even seen one.
What is mother of pearl worth?
Mother of pearl is the shell that the mussel lives in. It is not a pearl, therefore, the only value it has is the value when found on the faces of watches and other sterling silver or costume jewelry.
Are pearls more expensive than diamonds?
Pearls are not usually more expensive than diamonds unless they are found in the wild.
Even though diamonds are “a dime a dozen” as far as quantity goes, a pearl can be also if it was cultured. If you do find a pearl in the wild or in a store that can verify that it was not cultured, then it will be as expensive as a diamond of similar size.
Final Thoughts
Even though pearls are classic and timeless, care should be taken to make sure that you are not getting dyed pearls unless you want to buy them due to their cheaper price.
You also would not want to overpay by paying the price for freshwater pearls the same that saltwater pearls would cost you.
Because nowadays nearly all pearls are cultured rather than harvested in the wild, you are sure to get a lovely strand at a price that won’t break the bank.
If you are buying antique pearls, it may be worth your time to take them to a Graduate Gemologist to determine if they are wild or cultured…you could have something very rare on your hands.