What are the 5 varieties of cultured pearls?

Cultured pearls come in 5 main varieties: Akoya, Tahitian, Freshwater, White and Golden South Seas and Sea of Cortez pearls. Each type of pearl has its own unique beauty to offer today's pearl lovers.

What are the varieties of pearls?

What should I look for when buying cultured pearls?

The combination of surface brilliance and a deep-seated glow, the luster of a good-quality cultured pearl should be bright, not dull. Your reflection should be seen clearly on the surface of a cultured pearl. Any pearl that looks too chalky or dull indicates low quality.

What is the difference between Akoya and cultured pearls?

The biggest MAJOR difference between the Freshwater and Akoya pearl type is … SHAPE. Cultured Akoya pearls are known for being perfectly round … baroque Akoya are of course available, but they're rare, and more of a collector's item at this point in time.

What are the most valuable type of pearls?

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.

Pearl Types: What makes them different

How can you tell real pearls from cultured pearls?

Rub the pearls to check surface feel

Both natural and cultured pearls have textured surface due to their layered nacre structure. So when you rub the pearls lightly against each other or on your front teeth, they feel a little gritty. Fake or imitation pearls, however, usually feel smooth or glassy.

What is the rarest color for a pearl?

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 is Mikimoto pearl?

Mikimoto Pearls are the pearls of legend. The namesake behind the brand is Kokichi Mikimoto, who revolutionized the pearl industry when he patented the process for cultured pearls in 1916. Today, Kokichi Mikimoto is known in the pearl world as the King of Pearls, and his pearls live up to his name.

What grade are Tiffany pearls?

Tiffany does not have it's own grading system (at least one that it publicly acknowledges), but Tiffany strands are generally AA quality on the Mikimoto grading standard and Tiffany prices its strands directly in line with with Mikimoto AA strands (which would be $5,400 for an 18" 7x7. 5mm strand).

How can you tell the difference between Akoya and freshwater pearls?

Both the Akoya and Freshwater pearls differ mainly in their luster. When comparing the luster, the Akoya pearls have a brilliant superficial luster than the Freshwater pearls. Another difference that can be seen between the two pearls is that the fresh water pearls have thicker nacre than the Akoya pearls.

What does grade AAA mean for pearls?

AAA Flawless pearl on at least 80-85% of its surface, with the remaining 15-20% containing only minor imperfections with one or two deep imperfections. AAAA Flawless pearl on at least 95% of the pearl surface, with 5% having slight concentrated imperfections. Luster. A Poor. AA Medium.

Which pearl is best quality?

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.

Which of the following is best quality of pearl?

The best quality of pearl is known as Lingha pearl obtained from marine oysters. The duration of formation of pearl is about 7 years. The pearl oyster belongs to genus Pinctada, family pteriidae, and class bivalvia and phylum mollusca.

What is an Akoya cultured pearl?

The akoya pearl is a saltwater cultured pearl from the akoya oyster (Pinctada fucata martensii). Because akoya are the most abundant type of saltwater pearl with the longest cultured history, information on akoyas is abundant!

Are Mikimoto pearls a good investment?

Even a simple strand of Mikimoto pearls can set you back thousands of dollars. And the princes only get higher the more intricate the pearls. Therefore, we're inclined to say that Mikimoto really isn't worth the money — save your money and stick to the fake stuff.

How are pearls categorized?

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 grade are Mikimoto pearls?

There are four Mikimoto grades: A, A+, AA and AAA, with AAA being the highest quality. There are also four sub-grades: A1, A+1, AA1 and AAA1. The "1" represents a slightly more blemished surface.

How can you tell if pearls are Mikimoto?

How do I know that my pearl jewelry is authentic Mikimoto? Mikimoto jewelry is identified by the Mikimoto trademark, showing as the outline of an oyster or the engraving of the Mikimoto name. On necklaces and bracelets, look on the back of the clasp.

Is Mikimoto a good brand?

Mikimoto is one of the finest producers of Akoya pearls in the world and is widely recognized as the most prestigious pearl retailer in the industry. While Mikimoto's reputation for providing its clients with top-quality pearls is irrefutable, they also charge a considerable premium for their Mikimoto brand.

Are majorica real pearls?

In fact, one of the questions we frequently get asked is, are Majorica pearls real? The short answer is no. These are artificial pearls created using an innovative and closely guarded process.

Are Blue Lagoon pearls good quality?

People often ask us about Blue Lagoon pearls. There is only so much of the very fine-quality cultured pearls that American Pearl, Tiffany & Co. and Mikimoto offer. It is truly a commodity.

Will vinegar dissolve a pearl?

Vinegar is acetic acid (10%), so pearls will naturally dissolve in vinegar.

What is a chocolate pearl?

Chocolate Tahitian Pearl Creation

The Chocolate Tahitian Pearl is really a Tahitian Black Pearl whose initial coloring has been modified to create one that is uniquely bronze in color. The pearl is from the Pinctada Marfaritifera oyster, like all Tahitian pearls, before the coloration process.

What do GREY pearls mean?

Grey pearls reflect qualities like dignity, patience, wisdom, progress, self-control, focus and security.

What are golden pearls?

Golden South Sea pearls are among the largest, most valuable pearls produced today. They are grown in the gold-lip variety of the Pinctada maxima, South Sea pearl oyster. Their warm, golden tones are completely natural, and no treatments are needed to enjoy the beauty of these luxurious gems.