The many distinct varieties of pearl can be confusing to many beaders, artisans, or even those with a general interest in fashion. The simplest definition is for glass pearls – from both the Czech suppliers as well as Swarovski – which are glass (Czech) or crystal (Swarovski) beads with an applied pearl coating which should last for years in quality stock.

What is the Difference Between Natural and Cultured Pearls

The majority of pearls available on the market are cultured pearls, meaning that the pearl has been aided in its production by man. Freshwater pearls constitute the largest portion of cultured pearls – they are manufactured by placing an irritant within the shell of the mollusc and allowing the shell to do its work.

By placing layers of luminous nacre in successive coats on top of the graft, the cultured pearl is formed. Saltwater cultured pearls are also available to market, being principally produced in Indonesia, the Caribbean, China, and Japan (Akoya pearls).

Natural pearls, by contrast, form without any stimulus afforded to them artificially by man – making the process much less reliable (searching hundreds of barren molluscs for a single pearl of irregular quality) and thus natural pearls of beauty are true gems – fetching an according price.

The difference between the two is not apparent to the touch (due to the thick coating of nacre common to both cultured and natural pearls, they will display the same slight tactile roughness) though the difference can easily be discerned via x-ray.

What Gemstones or Beads Should I Pair with Pearls

Glass or imitation pearls are quite easily paired with gemstones of similar shade and hue to the coating placed upon them. In general, rounds match best as far as style and shape are concerned, as irregularities do nothing for the aesthetic of glass pearls in a finished piece.

Cultured freshwater pearls come in a variety of shapes and sizes, although most commonly found in the potato pearl (or round) variety. White freshwater pearls are excellent on their own, or paired with other semi-precious gemstones of any color – amethyst, peridot, citrine.

Another excellent compliment to cultured pearls are Swarovski crystal bicones – these glittering additions add an unmistakable element of culture and imply great quality in your piece. Pastel or mixed potato pearls also work with Swarovski bicones – particularly the crystal bead mixes offered by Fusionbeads.com. These economical mixes provide a beautiful array of colors and design inspirations to savvy beaders.

Natural pearls, due to their great value, are either best worn alone in a setting or stranded with pearls of like quality, shape, and hue. While this may prove a very costly and time consuming endeavor, some serious pearl collectors do take great pleasure in this.

Cultured Pearl Types and Varieties

According to casinos.online.co.ke website, pearls have long been valued as a remarkable natural gem that grows inside a living oyster, clam or other mollusk. Naturally occurring pearls are rare, but cultured pearls can be produced reliably without compromising the luster, color or shape of a quality pearl. There are several popular varieties of cultured pearls, including freshwater, Akoya, Tahitian, and south sea pearls.

How Pearls Are Made

Pearls form naturally when a clam, oyster, or other shelled mollusk traps a particle of dirt or any foreign matter inside. The mollusk rolls this material around and around inside its shell, coating it in a fine glaze of the hard, glittering substance called nacre. As an object is coated in layer after layer of nacre, it becomes a hard, round gem called a pearl.

How Cultured and Natural Pearls Differ

Natural pearls occur fairly seldom. Searching for wild pearls is a matter of chance and persistence, since relatively few shells will be found to contain pearls, and not every pearl is of good enough quality to be made into jewelry.

Cultured or farmed pearls are made by introducing a bead or other small, round item into a mollusk. The bead is coated with a bit of tissue from another mollusk to start a reaction that will eventually create a pearl. This process, known as nucleation, provides a more reliable source of pearls of any size or color.

There are several types of cultured pearls. Read on for details on some of the most common pearls used in jewelry.

Cultured Freshwater Pearls

Freshwater pearls are produced by freshwater mussels. These pearls are mostly in China, although some are also grown in Japan and the US.

Freshwater pearls can be found in almost any natural pearl color except black. They are seldom round, but can be found in many other shapes, including button, rice, drop and baroque. They grow for 2 to 7 years and may be 1mm to 16mm in diameter.

Akoya Pearls

These pearls are the most popular type sold today. Akoya are saltwater pearls, grown mostly in Japan and China. They are perfectly round, making them ideal for necklaces, pearl strands, and other jewelry requiring uniform size and shape.

Akoya pearls occur in a very limited range of colors; they are white with a subtle silvery, rose, or ivory overtone. The Akoya oyster is small in size, so the pearls are limited to a maximum size of 10mm and the average size is about 7mm.

Tahitian Pearls (also known as Black Tahitian Pearls)

Black Tahitian pearls are much desired, with reason: the Tahitian pearl is the only variety that grows natural black pearls (other black pearl varieties are dyed). Tahitian pearls are grown in black-lipped oysters and show a range of overtones (gray, silver, green, blue, purple) on black pearls as well as lighter colored pearls.

Black Tahitian pearls are large, between 9 and 16mm, and they are predominantly farmed in French Polynesia and sold in Tahiti. They come in a wide variety of shapes.

South Sea Pearls

South sea is the largest and most expensive cultured pearls, growing up to 20mm and averaging about 13mm. The pearls grow for six years in the warm waters of Australia and Indonesia.

Cultured south sea pearls have a thick nacre, glowing luster and come in a variety of colors from white to gold. They come in many shapes, but only 15% of south sea pearls are perfectly round.