When it comes to pearls, there are a lot of different types available on the market.
But are there any specific types that are best for jewelry?
In this article, we will discuss the different types of pearls and which ones make the best jewelry depending on how you are wanting to wear them.
We will also provide a beginners guide to buying pearl jewelry.
Table of Contents
What Are The Different Types of Pearls?
Before delving into the different types of pearls that are available, consider that many pearls are dyed to make them the colors that you now typically find. Nearly all of them are cultured, and even more are freshwater.
Unless you are dealing with a jewelry store who is procuring their pearls from the companies that are farming them, it is hard to really know which type you are buying by the shape and color alone.
Another factor to consider is that nearly all pearls, unless it is a known or suspected fact that they are naturally formed without being cultured, will not be validated by a Certified Graduate Gemologist.
Any paperwork that accompanies your purchase will simply be more like a receipt rather than the authenticated details of how or where they were harvested.
With that said, check out these different types of pearls that you’ll find on the market:
South Sea Pearls
South Sea Pearls are the largest of the cultured pearls and are considered the most valuable due to their size and color.
They make up about 10% of the pearl market and they come from the “white lipped oyster” or Pinctada Maxima oyster.
These pearls come predominantly from Australia, but also come increasingly from the Philippines and Indonesia.
These pearls can reach 15 to 20 millimeters in size and they come in different shades of whites and graduate in color to golds.
Many are dyed to enhance them for the market.The market price varies wildly depending on the area that you live, the promoting advertising marketing, the season for “giving” such as Christmas, and whether or not they have been enhanced in color.
Tahitian Pearls
These pearls grow primarily in the warm waters of Tahiti in the French Polynesia, Cook Island and South Central Pacific Ocean.
They receive their colors from the Pinctada Margaritifera or black lipped oyster.
Tahitian pearls range in size from 8 to 18 millimeters, which is competitive with the South Sea Pearls, but they are most known for their natural colors.
Their colors will range from gray to black, but the most popular colors are the different shades of peacock or iridescent greens.
Their values are comparative to the South Sea pearls, again, depending on marketing skills in play as most of these too are cultured.
Akoya Pearls
These too are saltwater pearls and their sizes range from a tiny 1mm to an average of 7mm.
They can get up to 10mm but that is rare due to harvesting practices.
These are the most abundant of the saltwater pearls and are also the most round and lustrous.Mikimoto pearls of Japan use this oyster to harvest their famous pearls due to the successful consistency of size and shape.
Most jewelry stores, if they have strands of pearls, will feature these pearls because their name is well known and they are more affordable than the South Sea or Tahitian pearls.
Akoya pearls are from Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea.
They can only grow 2 pearls at one time, and can only be nucleated once with a 50% mortality rate unlike freshwater pearls.
Colors come in white, pink, greenish, and silver and cream.
Freshwater Pearls
Freshwater pearls are grown and harvested from pearls in mussels coming from rivers and lakes.
China is the largest producer, although the US does produce some.
The freshwater pearls come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors.
These are the least expensive of all pearls.
Conch Pearl
Do you like sea snails?
Well, the Queen conch mollusk can produce a beautiful pink or salmon color pearl without human intervention or culturing. These pearls are made of fibrous calcium rather than nacre, and are rarer than any natural pearls comparatively.
Because the Queen conch are hemophiliacs, they cannot be successfully cultured which makes finding a pearl in them more valuable.
These pearls are sold by the carat rather than by the millimeter size due to the fact that they are shaped in an oval rather than round.
These pearls weigh more, are tougher and twice as durable than nacreous pearls.
They are edible and live in the Caribbean Sea. Only 1 in 15,000 conch shells will produce a pearl, making it among the rarest of pearl varieties.
Even so, only 10% of these will be of gem quality.
High quality conch pearls can cost between $15K to $20K per carat, which is on par with the finest of diamonds.
Biwa Pearl
These pearls are freshwater pearls that originated from Lake Biwa in Japan by none other than Mikimoto.
His attempt to create a freshwater cultured pearl resulted in these pearls, which were solid nacre.
They became in such high demand during the 1930’s and into the 20th century that growing and harvesting them had to stop because the lake became too polluted to sustain the lives of these mussels.
China decided to get in on farming Biwa pearls, otherwise known as “stick pearls” due to their elongated shapes.
But these are not genuine Biwa pearls from Lake Biwa in Japan and have little value.
These were very affordable if someone wanted an irregular shaped colorful and iridescent pearl to wear rather than the typical round shape.
They are very durable and several at a time were harvested from each mussel.
Melo Pearl
These are similar to the Queen conch in that they are a sea snail and do not come from oysters or clams.
This is another very rare saltwater pearl in that it is completely natural and rarely found.
They are called Melo Volutidae and are otherwise known as “bailer shells” because they were used to bail water out of canoes due to their size.
These cannot be cultured and they occur in a variety of shapes and colors ranging from tan to dark brown to the more desired orange. They have a porcelain like luster and may also display a silky structure that makes them especially valuable.
These are found only in Southeast Asia, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
These are as expensive, if not more expensive, as the conch pearls due to their rarity.
Black Lip Pearl
This is another species of oyster pearls that are found in the Indo Pacific among saltwater coral reefs.
Black lip pearls produce a gray to black pearl that are cultured and farmed.
While they are dark in color, they do not have the iridescence and green colors found in the Tahitian pearls.
Mabe Pearl
These pearls are known for being “half pearls”.
They can get quite large because they are grown on the shell of any freshwater or saltwater mollusk.
These are cultured and it takes around 2 to 3 years to produce a pearl where it is then cut out of the shell and hollowed.
Following hollowing, they are filled with a resin to give them some strength.
Mabe pearls come in a variety of colors, the most desirable being the ones which are produced from the “rainbow lipped oyster” at the Sea of Cortez pearl farm.
You are more likely to see the common white color in your local jewelry store.
Which Pearls Is The Best For Jewelry?
We bet you didn’t realize how many different types of pearls there are!
Now that you know a little more about each one, which do you think is the best for jewelry?
Turns out that despite the variety of pearls, only a few types are used in jewelry under different circumstances.
Let’s take a look at those now.
Best Pearls for Value
By far, the freshwater pearls will be the cheapest pearls that money can buy, followed by the Mabe pearls and then the Coin shaped pearls, the fake Chinese Biwa pearls that don’t really come from the closed down Biwa Lake in Japan, and the black pearl (not to be confused with Tahitian).
These types of pearls are great for those on a budget who still want to enjoy the beauty of pearls without having to spend a lot of money, and are found in many different types of jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, and even rings.
Best Pearls for Quality
The highest quality of pearls, regardless of being cultured, are the Akoya because they are known for their luster, followed by the South Sea pearls provided that they have not been dyed.
These are the types of pearls that will last a lifetime with proper care and make for heirloom pieces to be passed down from generation to generation.
Keep in mind, however, that even the best quality pearls will still require some level of care, such as avoiding contact with chemicals like hairspray or perfume, which can dull the luster of the pearl.
Best Pearls for Luxury
The most luxurious pearls that money can buy are those that have not been cultured, but rather are found in natural settings and are untouched by human manipulations.
Any of the South Sea, Akoya, Tahitian, Milo, Conch, or even the rare Abalone pearl would qualify as being luxurious simply due to their natural procurement and rarity.
This does not mean they will be the best looking, but they will be the rarest, and therefore, the most expensive for bragging rights.
This is why these types of pearls are found in high-end jewelry stores and are often seen on celebrities or the wealthy.
FAQ’s About The Best Pearls For Jewelry
Which is better freshwater or saltwater pearls?
Saltwater pearls have a higher market value assigned to them because they take longer to harvest and people are convinced that something coming from the sea is better than something coming from rivers and lakes.
However, neither kind are rare if they have been cultured.
What is better freshwater or cultured pearls?
If pearls are not cultured or saltwater, they will be given a much better sales pitch and a much higher price tag, regardless of not being perfect.
If they are very shiny and lustrous, if they are the shape YOU like, if they are the color YOU like, then consider them good quality – especially if there is paperwork that can prove where they came from.
How can you tell if pearls are good quality?
The best way to tell if pearls are good quality is to hold them up to a light and look at them closely. If they have a high luster, meaning they reflect a lot of light, then they are good quality.
Final Thoughts
Study up on the different types of pearls and looking at their available sizes, shapes and colors. Find out where they originate from and avoid those that come from China or any other country because you do not have recourse if something goes wrong during the sale.
International laws only apply to kidnapping, not to buying pearls.
Go to your local jewelry store to buy and be patient about giving them time to find what you want.
Most of the pearls on the market are severely lacking in luster.
Do not buy online unless there is a generous and reasonable return policy because you will not be able to see the luster due to lighting issues on either end.
You may not be able to appreciate the true color of a pearl due to your computer monitors presenting colors differently depending on the brand.
By the time you have done your homework about the type of pearl you want, the size and the color, you can shop with confidence and ask questions to the jeweler who will know far more than a person working the counter at a department store jewelry section.
Ask the jeweler who his/her dealer is and where the pearls came from and some documentation to that fact.
If the pearl is expensive, have them send it to GIA for documented proof that it is what it is being sold as.