Aside from diamonds being every girl’s best friend, pearls have also been astonishingly made into fine jewelries that can be competitively set alongside diamonds. From gorgeous earrings to eye catching necklaces, pearls have once again shown to the world what nature’s wonders are all about.

Generally, there are two basic types of pearls- freshwater pearls and sea pearls. Obviously, freshwater pearls are grown in lakes, ponds, and rivers while a sea pearl on the other hand are harvested from lagoons, ocean waters, and volcanic atolls. Fresh water pearls are grown inside freshwater mollusks from which each can is capable of creating 50 pearls at a time.

To make these pearls, minute pieces of mantle tissue is settled inside the mollusk. They are generally referred as pearl starters that are then eventually coated by nacre all throughout the growing process until it is harvested. Usually, it takes between 4 to 6 years to have a fresh water pearl fully grown for harvest. On a different case, sea pearls are harvested with only one pearl per oyster.  Sea pearls have three types which are the Tahitian, South Sea, and the Akoya pearls. Among the three types of sea pearls, the South Sea pearls take the longest time of culturing which usually takes up to 6 years. Smaller types of South Sea pearls on the other hand can be harvested after a two year cycle.

Sea pearls have much greater longevity compared to freshwater pearls as they are blessed with natural preservation properties making them last their beauty for generations. Unfortunately, freshwater pearls can only showcase their beauty in a relatively short time. The pearl’s luster fades quickly which are then later on turned into chalky or milky. This gave freshwater pearls the name of “the pearls to enjoy now.” Due to the fact that sea pearls are more genuine both in quality and appearance, they usually cost a lot more expensive compared to freshwater pearls. One strand of sea pearls can have a price of $3,000 to $100,000 while freshwater pearls have a price of $300 to $1,500 per strand.

Generally, South Sea pearls are similarly colored unlike freshwater ones that have various appearances. The nacre of the South Sea pearls appears with a very prominent halo and greater depth of iridescence.

Akoya pearls are white with no strong overtones of other colors like silver, pink, and rainbow. In very rare cases, saltwater pearls produce an orient which is defined with the perfect match of nacre quality and thickness.