Distinctions of Freshwater Pearls from Sea Pearls

August 14th, 2009

Other than diamonds that have been long popular to dazzlingly graze every woman, pearls have also made its reputation as a fine element of unparalleled sets of jewelry. 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.

As a start, small pieces of mantle tissue are placed inside the mollusk. They are generally referred as pearl starters that are then eventually coated by nacre all throughout the growing process until it is harvested. Most often, 4 to 6 years is the required time to successfully grow a freshwater pearl to its maturity. Sea pearls on the other hand only produce one pearl per oyster. Sea pearls have three types which are the Tahitian, South Sea, and the 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Crystal Bible The Crystal Bible
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $12.46
You save: $7.53 (38%)
 

Description

Beautifully illustrated, The Crystal Bible offers a comprehensive guide to crystals, their shapes, colors and applications. With informative descriptions and an easy-to-use format, it is an indispensable practical handbook for crystal lovers and users everywhere - both beginner and expert alike...



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sea pearls have much greater longevity compared to freshwater pearls as they are blessed with natural preservation properties making them last their beauty for 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." Because sea pearls are proven to have higher quality and much better appearance, they usually come with a much higher price. One strand of sea pearls can have a price of $3,000 to $100,000 while freshwater pearls have a price of $300 to $1,500 per strand.

When it comes to their appearance, South Sea pearls are more unified in color compared to freshwater ones.  South Sea pearls also have greater nacre quality appearing with a prominent halo and deeper iridescence.

Akoya pearls are white with no strong overtones of other colors like silver, pink, and rainbow. In very rare cases, saltwater pearls produce an orient which is defined with the perfect match of nacre quality and thickness. 



Start Your Jewelry Appraisal Now!




Invitation:

Thanks for your visit, but after all the hard work (unpaid) we put into this site - if nothing else - we would certainly appreciate your comments on this article.

Go On - Be Lazy - Click here to use the form below...

Others Also Liked This Premium Jewelry Information...

Jewelry hallmarks

Professional jewelry appraisals completed by gemologists and valuers often have to take into account the effect the jewelry hallmarks have on the value of each item being appraised. Do they alter the price, up or down, depending on the hallmark. The simple answer is yes – and no. It depends on the hallmarks themselves and where they come from.

I get similar questions on forums and ‘expert’ websites, together with my own members discussion group. They are usually in the following format, and in general the same questions get asked over and over again. They go… Continue reading Jewelry Hallmarks And What They Mean...

Most people when they imagine a pearl are picturing perfect large round spherical gems, creamy white in colour with a shimmery iridescent surface. The reality is that pearls are usually irregular in shape, each one is different and to find one that is completely round is almost unheard of, not to mention trying to make a whole necklace of pearls that are all more or less the same. 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… Continue reading What are the Main Differences Between Freshwater and Saltwater Pearls?...

Name jewelry is one of the trendiest types of fashion accessory for both men and women. A large part of this modern upswing in popularity is due to the hip hop culture where large name jewelry items have become the defining fashion in bling. While much of the current fashion is large, bling-style pieces, name jewelry can range from delicate and subtle to big and bold. But name jewelry is also very popular as traditional mothers jewelry. Name rings and name necklaces are by far the most popular items with online stores and retailers… Continue reading Name Jewelry Trends...

Leave your own comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Security Code: