Guide to Buying Pearls

Pearls are the world’s only cultured organic gemstone. They have been around since the 19th century and have such a classic and beautiful elegance that they have remained a desirable option for jewelry still today. When deciding on an investment, it is helpful following a simple guide to buying pearls in order to insure value. There are two main varieties of cultured pearls: saltwater pearls and freshwater pearls.

Saltwater Pearls

These pearls come from exotic locations such as Akoya, Tahitian and the South Sea. They are also grown in bays, inlets and atolls. These are considered more valuable than freshwater pearls.

Akoya pearls were the very first culture pearls in history. The Akoya oyster from which they come is smaller than other pearl oysters and produced in Japan or China.

Tahitian pearls are considered to be the most valuable. This is because they are the only pearl able to be graded which is handled by the French Polynesian government.

South sea pearls are often the largest cultured pearls on the market. These come from either the silver lipped or gold lipped oyster. Generally you may find the gold lipped pearls in Indonesia and they will consist of a more cream and yellow coloring. The silver lipped pearls can be found in Australia.

Freshwater Pearls

Freshwater pearls are culture in mussels found primarily in china, Japan and America. They are usually grown in man made lakes and reservoirs. Although they are not considered as valuable as the saltwater counterparts, there are many rate and very high quality freshwater pearls which are exceptional and therefore highly valuable. Many pearl manufacturers in China have recently switched from a production of quantity to quality making freshwater pearls competitive with salt.