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Types of Pearls
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 An
old Arab legend tells that pearls were formed when dew drops
filled with moonlight fell into the ocean and were swallowed
by oysters. The modern scientific explanation is not nearly
as romantic but the process still fascinating.
A natural pearl (often called an Oriental pearl) forms when
an irritant works its way into a particular species of oyster,
mussel or clam. As a defense mechanism, the mollusk secretes
a fluid to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating
is deposited on the irritant until a lustrous pearl is formed.
Following are descriptions of the various types of
pearls:
Australian Pearls
The Australian South Sea Pearl is unquestionably the rarest
and finest cultured pearl in the world. No other pearl can
equal its natural beauty and size. These high grade Australian
Pearls are of such quality they do not require bleaching,
tinting, dying or skinning. Their beauty will never fade because
they are pure and untreated, ensuring a treasure that can
be passed down from generation to generation.
South Sea Pearls
There are two basic groups of South Sea cultured pearls: white
and black.
Pearls from the white group are primarily cultured in the
northern waters of Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Their rarity and exceptional sizes, from 8 to 20mm, make them
highly prized. Their colors range from white and silvery blue
to pale gold - the golden or light-yellowish varieties abound
in Philippine and Indonesian waters while white or silvery
hues occur mainly in Australian waters.
Pearls from the black group, among which is the legendary
black pearl of the South Pacific, are most frequently found
over a wide area stretching from the Cook Islands, eastward
through Tahiti to the Tuamotu Archipelago and the Gambier
Islands in French Polynesia.
Tahitian Pearls
The cultured pearl of Tahiti is synonymous with magic and
perfection. Most come from the atolls and lagoons of the South
Pacific. They tend more toward drop shapes than round and
vary in size from 7 to 15mm. They can be black, silver, dark
or light grey. The rarest colour is "peacock green"
- the greenish black colour of a peacock feather.
Akoya Pearls
Considered the classic amongst cultured pearls, Akoya Pearls
are primarily round or oval in shape and measure 2 to 10mm.
They are cultured in southwestern Japan and China. Their colours
range from pinkish white to creamy shades and silvery blue.
Keshi Pearls
Possessing a whimsical charm entirely different to the perfectly
round, large pearls, seedless keshi pearls arise spontaneously
in the culture of Akoya, and South Sea pearls. These small
freeform pearls make fascinating necklaces in colours ranging
from silvery white to silvery grey.
Mabé Pearls
Mabé Pearls are attractive half pearls with beautiful,
rainbow-coloured iridescence. The pearl was named after the
mabé pearl oyster which is found mainly in the tropical
seas of Southeast Asia and in the Japanese islands around
Okinawa. Since the beginning of the century, many attempts
had been made to cultivate round pearls from the mabé
oyster but all had failed. However, in the 1950s hemispherical
pearls (or 'half pearls' as they are more commonly known)
were successfully cultivated. Today, most of these cultured
half pearls do not come from the mabé oyster, but rather
from the South Sea's silver-lipped oyster. Mabé pearls
are also available in oval, cushion, drop and heart shapes.
Chinese Freshwater Pearls
Chinese Freshwater Pearls are grown in an amazing variety
of delicate shapes ranging from round and oval to button,
drop and baroque. Their colours vary from pure white to orange
and rosy violet.
Kasumiga Pearls
The Kasumiga is a new type of pearl that comes from a lake
northeast of Tokyo. The mussels are a crossbreed between Japanese
and Chinese freshwater mussels, and are implanted with round
or flat seeds. Kasumiga Pearls glow in rosy hues of light
to dark pink.
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