When most people think of pearls they picture perfect large round spherical gems, with an iridescent creamy white appearance. In fact pearls come in many different shapes, sizes and colours and to find one that is completely round is almost unheard of, let alone a whole string that are all identical. Natural pearls are the rarest and most highly valued variety, but nowadays most pearl jewellery is made from cultured or farmed pearls, which are grown on pearl farms across the world by inserting a bead nucleus inside an oyster or mussel shell to encourage the formation of a pearl. Aside from whether a pearl has formed naturally or been farmed the main difference is between saltwater and freshwater pearls, each of which have their own qualities.
Saltwater pearls are found in pearl oysters which live in the ocean, and produce the classic round white or cream pearls that have remained so desirable and sought after throughout history. Cultured saltwater pearls are more likely to be round than those grown in freshwater farms as they are usually formed by artificially placing a rounded nucleus inside the oyster’s shell to enhance the shape. The Japanese Akoya is the most popular type of cultured saltwater pearl and is highly desirable for use in jewellery because of its large size and rounded shape, making them more expensive than the freshwater variety. It is still possible to find natural saltwater pearls in the ocean, but they are much less common nowadays due to pollution in the seas.
The most common type of pearl available today are freshwater pearls, which are mostly produced in China using freshwater mussels and come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Freshwater pearls come in the natural colours of whites, pinks, creams and lilacs but they can be easily dyed any other colour to be used for jewellery. Freshwater pearls are easier to farm succesfully than saltwater pearls, making them cheaper to buy as jewellery, though it is rare for them to be perfectly round and a necklace of cultured freshwater pearls will hardly ever be all the same size and shape.
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