Pearl types

Pearls are of different types according to their formation and the type of water in which they grow. Some of the pearl types are discussed bellow:

Natural pearls: Natural pearls are formed within the oyster it may be an ocean or a river. When irritant like parasite is lodged into the mollusk, this animal responds by releasing a calcium carbonate substance called nacre to coat the intruder and protect the mollusk. The size, shape, type is determined by many aspects.

Cultured pearls: cultured pulses are made by hands. Most of the pearls today are cultured pearls, this is possible by inserting any foreign object into mollusk, this induces the pearl formation which same as that of natural pearl formation.

Saltwater pearls: Salt-water pearls are collected from saltwater of red sea, Persian Gulf and the coastal waters of India and Japan. They are also known as marine pearls.

Keshi pearls: these are the special category of pearls as their formation process is quite unusual, they are formed when the oyster rejects and spits out the implanted nucleus before culturing process finishes. These pearls are eventually produced without nucleus.

Akoya pearls: akoya pearls are formed in Japan and China. They are well known for their luster and therefore considered as classic pearls. Akoya oyster is smallest pearl producing oyster that is used in pearl culture today. Japanese dominated the Akoya pearls production.

South sea pearls: south sea pearls are the largest commercially cultured pearls in the whole world. Their average size is 13mm, with most harvests producing a range from 9mm to 20mm.

Freshwater pearls: china is leading the formation of freshwater pearls. They are available in wide variety like shape, colors. They are less expensive as compare to the salt-water pearls. They are quite durable, resist chipping and degenerative.

For more types of pearls just click here.