Natural vs. Cultured:

A natural pearl is formed when an irritant such as a grain of sand or a sea parasite gets trapped inside an oyster’s shell. As a defense mechanism, the oyster secretes a crystalline substance called nacre. Its chemical composition is calcium carbonate. Over the course of several years, the oyster continues to cover the irritant with layers and layers of nacre and the end product is a natural pearl.

A cultured pearl is formed when a round mother-of-pearl bead is deliberately implanted into the mantle tissue of an oyster. This process starts the secretion of nacre which continues for several years until the oysters are harvested for pearls. The longer the secretion process is allowed to occur, the larger the cultured pearl will be.

Cultured Pearls: Usually refers to round Japanese saltwater cultured pearls, also known as Akoya pearls.

Freshwater Pearls: As the name states, these pearls are produced by mussels in freshwater lakes and rivers. They are cultured using a small piece of a donor mussel tissue in place of a bead. Therefore, there is no nucleus and the shape tends to be irregular.

Biwa: Biwa pearls were once produced at Lake Biwa in Japan using freshwater mollusks. Production has stopped many years ago because of pollution and today the term "Biwa" refers to freshwater pearls with the distinctive characteristics of the button shape and the intense orient and luster.

South Sea Pearls: Pearls cultured in the warm south seas using an oyster of a special variety are usually 10mm or greater in size and very costly. Their color ranges from white, cream and gold to blue, green and black.

To determine the value of cultured pearls, the following characteristics must be carefully considered:

Size: Size is the most important factor in determining price. A cultured pearl’s size is determined by the size of the implanted nucleus bead and the thickness of the nacre layers. The nacre imparts color, luster and determines overall appearance and quality. Since a natural pearl lacks a nucleus bead, its weight is measured in grains (4 grains=1 carat) in addition to the diameter width in mm. In general, a larger pearl is more valuable.

Shape: Pearls come in many shapes. A perfectly round pearl is extremely rare and thus most valuable. Symmetrical pearls such as button or pear shaped pearls are valued for their evenness. Baroque pearls are irregular in shape.

Color: A pearl’s color has two components; body color and overtones. The body color is the pearl’s basic background color. Overtones are casts of a secondary color. A combination of white or silver body color with pink overtones are very popular and thus command a premium. However, it is important to remember that a value one places on a certain color is largely a matter of personal preference.

Luster and Orient: The thicker the nacre of a pearl, the higher the luster. A lustrous pearl will reflect images that are extremely clear. A pearl’s orient refers to the iridescent glow created when light travels through layers of nacre.

Cleanliness: A pearl’s surface or "skin" is judged by its’ cleanliness. A texture free of dimples and blisters is most desirable but rare. Therefore, small pinpoint dimples and blemishes are acceptable.

Make: When judging finished pearl jewelry, "make" refers to how well the pearls are matched within an individual piece of jewelry. A fine quality strand of pearls should be carefully matched for size, shape, color, orient, luster and surface cleanliness. In general, the industry standard of a .5mm discrepancy is acceptable in a uniform pearl necklace.

Necklace Lengths: