Pearl Strands

Cultured Pearls

Cultured pearls are grown in pearl farms. The mollusks are raised until they are old enough to accept the mother-of-pearl bead nucleus. Through a delicate surgical procedure, the technician implants the bead, and then the mollusks are returned to the water and cared for while the pearl forms.

Not all produce a pearl, and not all the pearls are high quality. Over 10,000 pearls may be sorted before a 16” single strand of beautifully matched pearls is assembled.

Pearls can be found in saltwater and in freshwater. There are also different types of mollusks that produce very different looking pearls.

Akoya Saltwater Pearls

Saltwater pearls include the Akoya cultured pearls grown in Japanese and Chinese waters. They range in size from 2mm (tiny) to 10mm (rare) and are usually white or cream in colour and round in shape.

Freshwater Pearls

These pearls are grown in freshwater lakes, rivers, and ponds, predominately in China. Although many are white and resemble the Akoya cultured pearls in shape and size, they can also be produced in various shapes and in an array of pastel colours.