What are the 4 general types of pearls?

What are the major types of pearls?

How many types of pearl are there?

There are essentially five pearl types and the experts at Pearl Paradise will walk you through each of them. Click here to learn today.

What are the names of the pearls?

Which type of pearl is best?

White South Sea and Golden South Sea pearls are the most sought-after cultured versions of the gems in the world. That's because they are the rarest, and offer the most luster and greatest pearls sizes. Both Golden South Sea and White South Sea pearls are cultivated in saltwater.

Pearl Types: What makes them different

What is the rarest pearl color?

Naturally colored blue pearls are the rarest pearl colors in the world (with one or two exceptions, which we will get to below). The color has existed in pearls for decades, but only recently have naturally colored blue pearls gained popularity in the modern pearl jewelry markets.

What are fake pearls called?

Fake pearls are also called “faux”, “costume” or “imitation”. They can be made of glass, plastic, or fish-scale imitations. For example, "majorica pearls" are a form of fake pearls. There is nothing in them that rightly allow them to be called pearls.

What is the finest quality pearl called?

Some of the most well-known and highly valuable pearls come from a group of marine bivalves called pearl oysters from the family Pinctada and Pteria. We use the finest-quality Japanese Akoya cultured pearls in our Cultured Pearl Starter Necklaces.

What are most expensive pearls?

South Sea Pearls Value

South Sea pearls are considered the most valuable. They are also the largest pearl variety on the market. A strand of South Sea pearls can range from $1,000 to over $100,000.

What are natural pearls called?

Natural pearls are composed entirely of nacre, a combination of aragonite and an organic binder called conchiolin. In an effort to protect itself from an intruder, the oyster coats itself with layers of nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, the same substance it uses for shell building.

How do I identify Akoya pearls?

For Akoya pearls, you'll mainly notice pin prick blemishes, lighter or darker areas of organic conchiolin build up visible just under the surface crystal, and small, white wrinkles in the surface nacre. Freshwater Pearl Inclusions are mostly dull white "chalky spots" and subtle ridges on the pearl surfaces.

How do you tell if a pearl is natural or cultured?

The Tooth Test: Simply rub the pearl against your tooth, softly. If the pearl is natural or cultured, you will feel the surface as gritty. If the pearl is a faux gem, then the surface will feel smooth.

Are black pearls real?

The Tahitian pearl (or black pearl) is an organic gem formed from the black lip oyster (Pinctada margaritifera). These pearls derive their name from the fact that they are primarily cultivated around the islands of French Polynesia, around Tahiti.

What is special about Akoya pearls?

The Akoya pearl is known for its superb luster and its perfectly round shape. Akoyas also have a beautiful color consistency, making them often the pearl of choice for a woman's first strand of pearls.

How are pearls classified?

The GIA Surface Scale classifies pearls as Clean, Lightly Spotted, Moderately Spotted, or Heavily Spotted. Nacre is the substance that makes up a pearl, layer after layer. Thickness is important when evaluating nacre quality to make sure that cultured pearls are durable as well as beautiful.

What is the original Colour of pearl?

Natural Pearl Colors

The most common color for pearls is white, cream or gray, but they also come in colors such as purple, black, pink, green, champagne, chocolate, blue and lavender. Some pearls have stunning overtones that exhibit multicolors.

What is the cost of 1 pearl?

The value of a pearl can vary dramatically depending on many factors, such as its type, size, color, surface quality, and more. A wild pearl will be worth more than a cultured pearl. However, on average, a pearl's value ranges from $300 to $1500.

How do I know if my pearls are worth anything?

The qualities that determine the overall value of a natural or cultured pearl or a piece of pearl jewelry are size, shape, color, luster, surface quality, nacre quality, and—for jewelry with two or more pearls—matching.

Which Colour pearl is best?

The most classic and widely preferred pearl color is white. The white pearl is considered a symbol of purity, and is often associated with wedding and graduation celebrations.

What happens when you put a pearl in vinegar?

"The calcium carbonate in a pearl reacts with the acetic acid in vinegar to produce calcium acetate, water and carbon dioxide," Jones wrote in the current issue of the Classical World journal, detailing her research.

Are good pearls heavy or light?

Feel the weight of the pearl in your hand.

Most real pearls feel somewhat heavy for their size. On the other hand, fakes (especially plastic pearls) will have a light, insubstantial feel. For obvious reasons, this test isn't perfect — judging the weight of a few small pearls can be tricky.

What is the difference between a real pearl and a cultured pearl?

Natural pearls grow in the wild without human intervention. They are very rare, and most natural pearls in the market today are antique. Cultured pearls are grown in pearl farms, and are the direct result of human intervention.

Do pearls change color with age?

Like many things in life, pearls age. As these precious gems age, they go through a natural process that changes the composition of the organic substances that make them up. This causes them to change color. Yellow pearls typically indicate that pearls are real since artificial pearls don't normally change color.

How do you clean real pearls?

Clean with a damp cloth only as needed.

If your pearls are visibly stained, you can mix a solution of lukewarm water and mild dish soap, dip a soft cleaning cloth in it and wipe the pearls. Do NOT submerge a pearl necklace in water, as it will weaken the silk thread.