Types of Pearls
South Sea Pearls
South Sea pearls are the biggest and the most sought-after pearls in the world. They are found only in the South Seas, thus acquiring its name. The pearl bearing oyster, the great Pinctada Maxima can be found in the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and Burma. It grows from 13 to 30 cm in diameter and can produce pearls ranging from 9 to 20 mm for round pearls.
The Pinctada Maxima has two kinds, the Gold-Lipped which produces a light to golden champagne colored pearls, and the Silver-Lipped which produces a white, creamy white to silver colored pearls. It takes three years for these oysters to grow and two to three more years to nurture a pearl.
Black South Sea Pearls
The Black-Lipped Oyster, Pinctada Margaritifera, is the oyster that gives birth to the Black South Sea pearl. This oyster is found mostly in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, and the Philippines. The cultivation period varies from two to three years. The Black pearl produces pearls that range in size from 8-16 mm and come in different colors: grey, green, peacock, blue, and aubergine.
Akoya Pearls
Akoya pearls are cultivated saltwater pearls produced in Japan by the Pinctada Fucata. This oyster ranges between 8 to 13 mm and is considered mature to be nucleated at 2 to 3 years old. The pearl born from this oyster tends to be white to white cream with hints of pink, blue and green. The pearl size range from 2 to 9 mm and is cultivated from 10 to 15 months. All of it undergo a treatment which homogenize the color and facilitate the matching.
Mabe Pearls
The Half pearl or the "Mabe" pearl come from an oyster called Pteria Penguin. Those pearls are produced in the Philippines, Japan and Thailand. They grow on the shell itself. A half bead is placed on its shell where parallel nacre coating occurs. Half pearl is a composite pearl.
Freshwater Pearls
Freshwater pearls, unlike the other type of pearls, come from a mussel called Hyriopsis schloegeli, which lives in rivers and lakes and are found in big quantities in China, USA and Japan.
This mussel will be nucleated at 6-7 months old, following a special process that does not involve the insertion of a bead nucleus in the oyster; but only a piece of mantle tissue.
The interesting fact about the freshwater pearls is that 50 pieces of mantle tissue can be inserted inside a single mussel, and yield about 30 to 40 pearls. There are now some producers nucleating freshwater oysters.
South Sea Pearls
South Sea pearls are the biggest and the most sought-after pearls in the world. They are found only in the South Seas, thus acquiring its name. The pearl bearing oyster, the great Pinctada Maxima can be found in the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and Burma. It grows from 13 to 30 cm in diameter and can produce pearls ranging from 9 to 20 mm for round pearls.
The Pinctada Maxima has two kinds, the Gold-Lipped which produces a light to golden champagne colored pearls, and the Silver-Lipped which produces a white, creamy white to silver colored pearls. It takes three years for these oysters to grow and two to three more years to nurture a pearl.
Black South Sea Pearls
The Black-Lipped Oyster, Pinctada Margaritifera, is the oyster that gives birth to the Black South Sea pearl. This oyster is found mostly in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, and the Philippines. The cultivation period varies from two to three years. The Black pearl produces pearls that range in size from 8-16 mm and come in different colors: grey, green, peacock, blue, and aubergine.
Akoya Pearls
Akoya pearls are cultivated saltwater pearls produced in Japan by the Pinctada Fucata. This oyster ranges between 8 to 13 mm and is considered mature to be nucleated at 2 to 3 years old. The pearl born from this oyster tends to be white to white cream with hints of pink, blue and green. The pearl size range from 2 to 9 mm and is cultivated from 10 to 15 months. All of it undergo a treatment which homogenize the color and facilitate the matching.
Mabe Pearls
The Half pearl or the "Mabe" pearl come from an oyster called Pteria Penguin. Those pearls are produced in the Philippines, Japan and Thailand. They grow on the shell itself. A half bead is placed on its shell where parallel nacre coating occurs. Half pearl is a composite pearl.
Freshwater Pearls
Freshwater pearls, unlike the other type of pearls, come from a mussel called Hyriopsis schloegeli, which lives in rivers and lakes and are found in big quantities in China, USA and Japan.
This mussel will be nucleated at 6-7 months old, following a special process that does not involve the insertion of a bead nucleus in the oyster; but only a piece of mantle tissue.
The interesting fact about the freshwater pearls is that 50 pieces of mantle tissue can be inserted inside a single mussel, and yield about 30 to 40 pearls. There are now some producers nucleating freshwater oysters.
