Nowadays, pearls are treated as one of the most versatile gems of all time. Due to different types of culturing techniques, it is now possible to create pearls in wide varieties of colors.
Often buyers are baffled during the process of choosing pearl necklace urban that is best matched for them, since buying pearls is not just about buying prettiest or the biggest.
Following are different varieties of pearls available in the market.
Akoya Pearls
These are usually perfectly round shaped lustrous pearls. These pearls were cultured during the early part of the 20th century.
- Sizes: Typically, 5 mm to 11 mm and few rare sizes can be 10 and 11 mm too. However, the most common sizes are 7 to 7.5 mm.
- Colors: Cream or White, black after treating
- Common overtones: Cream, Rose or Ivory
- Pearl origin: Japan, China
- Mollusk type: Known as Pinctada fucata
Freshwater pearls
Originally marketed as cheaper alternate of Akoya pearl and now it has emerged as the biggest competitor.
- Sizes: Its range is 2 mm to 15 mm which is the widest range out of any other type of pearls.
- Colors: Cream or White, black after treating
- Common overtones: Cream, Rose and Ivory
- Pearl origin: India, China and Australia
- Mollusk type: Hybrid or Hyriopsis cumingii.
Tahitian Pearls
These black colored pearls are highly sought after which was so rare earlier and was known as “Pearl of Queens”.
- Sizes: Ranges between 8 mm to 21 mm.
- Colors: With shades of gray, brown, green, blue and purple.
- Common overtones: Blue-green, silver/steel and peacock
- Pearl origin: Mostly cultivated in the French Polynesia islands
- Mollusk type: Called as Pinctada margaritifera
South sea Pearls
These are large and also luminous pearls and are quire rare and most sought-after pearls.
- Sizes: Ranges between 8 mm to 20 mm with average size of 13mm.
- Colors: Cream, white and silver
- Common overtones: Green, Pink, blue
- Pearl origin: Indonesia, Australia, Philippines
- Mollusk type: Known as Pinctada maxima.