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 gorgeous earrings to eye catching necklaces, pearls have once again shown to the world what nature's wonders are all about.
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. These are called pearl starters which are then covered with natural coating called nacre by the mollusk through time. Most often, 4 to 6 years is the required time to successfully grow a freshwater pearl to its maturity. On a different case, sea pearls are harvested with only one pearl per oyster. This type of pearls is categorized into three groups namely, South Sea, Tahitian, and Akoya pearls. Of the three, South Sea pearls take the longest period in nurturing a pearl that lasts 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. Their luster quickly fades eventually becoming chalky or milky. This succeedingly paved way for the freshwater pearl's name as "the pearls to enjoy now." Due to the fact that sea pearls are more genuine both in quality and appearance, they usually cost a lot more expensive compared to freshwater pearls. Each strand of sea pearls usually costs $3,000 to $100,000 while a single strand of freshwater pearls only takes $300 to $1,500.
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. The nacre of the South Sea pearls appears with a very prominent halo and greater depth of 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.
