FRESHWATER

About the Pearls

Freshwater pearls are the first to be successfully cultured with records dating back over 700 years. Today cultured freshwater pearls are closest to natural pearls in growth. The lower cost and increasingly higher quality of freshwater pearls makes them a popular choice.

TRIANGLE SHELL
Lat. Hyriopsis Cumingi

Size Range: 3-10 mm
Avg.Size: 6-7 mm

Growth Time:
2-6 years

TOPICS

History & Cultivation

Early Chinese history shows that freshwater blister pearls were successfully cultured about 700 hundred years ago. Prior to this, natural pearls were formed within freshwater mussels and found during harvest. The mussels were harvested mainly for food in those early days.
One of the largest pearls known to exist today is a freshwater blister pearl.

Freshwater Pearls Today

Today, freshwater pearls are a major product in the fine jewellery market. Their continued quality improvement allow some to almost rival their Akoya saltwater counterparts.

Freshwater Pearls Colours

White pearls are considered the classic pearl colour. Freshwater pearls are cultured and do grow in white and other light pastel colours.
As more colours have become popular, freshwater pearls are available in pink and lavender as well. In addition, treated black and very dark freshwater pearls are now becoming more popular.

Value Factors

The value of freshwater pearls and finished pearl jewellery is varied. These factors include luster, roundness and surface quality. How well the pearls are matched for a finished jewellery piece is also important.