What Is the Difference Between Saltwater and Freshwater Pearls?
When most people think of pearls they picture perfect large round spherical gems, with an iridescent creamy white appearance. The reality is that pearls are usually irregular in shape, each one is different and to find a perfectly round one is rare, not to mention trying to make a whole necklace of pearls that are all more or less the same. Natural pearls are the rarest and most highly valued variety, but nowadays most pearl jewellery is made from cultured or farmed pearls, which are grown on pearl farms across the world by inserting a bead nucleus inside an oyster or mussel shell to encourage the formation of a pearl. Aside from whether a pearl has formed naturally or been farmed the other major varieties are the saltwater or freshwater pearl, each of which have their own qualities.
Saltwater pearls are found in pearl oysters which live in the ocean, and produce the classic round white or cream pearls that have remained so desirable and sought after throughout history. Cultured saltwater pearls are more likely to be round than those grown in freshwater farms as they are made by inserting a bead into the oyster to encourage the shape. The Japanese Akoya is the most popular type of cultured saltwater pearl and is highly desirable for use in jewellery because of its large size and rounded shape, meaning that this type usually costs more than cultured freshwater pearls. Although there are still some natural saltwater pearls, they are becoming more and more rare due to pollution in the seas.
The most common type of pearl available today are freshwater pearls, which are mostly produced in China using freshwater mussels and come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Freshwater pearls in their natural state are usually a variety of whites, pinks, creams and lilacs but they can be easily dyed any other colour to be used for jewellery. It is easier to farm freshwater pearls than saltwater, and for this reason they are slightly cheaper to buy, although less likely to be perfectly round or to find enough to make a whole string of the exact same size and colour.
