Types of Cultured Pearl

Tue, Jul 28th 2009, 13:23

Seawater Pearls form in oysters found mainly in the Pacific Ocean. Freshwater pearls form in freshwater mussels, particularly in Japan and the USA.


In Japan and China, cultured seawater pearls are formed in the Akoya oyster.
South-Sea Pearls are formed in silver-lip or gold-lip oysters found in Southeast Asia and the coast of Australia.
Black Pearls form in the black-lipped oyster of French Polynesia.

The classic pearl is perfectly round. But there are other distinct shapes that pearls form:

Seed pearls are small delicate pearls with an irregular shape. They are usually 2mm or less in size.

Keshi pearls (meaning ‘poppy seed' in Japanese) are formed when the implanted nucleus is ejected by the host shell. Keshi pearls have a particular lustre because they consist of pure nacre with no impurities. They come in all shapes, colours and sizes. Essentialy they are a by-product of pearl culture and are quite rare.

Blister Pearls have a distinctive shape, a flat surface on one side caused by the pearl forming while attached to the host shell. For this reason they are often used for earrings.

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