Home Pearl is a precious gemstone that is naturally formed in mollusc (known as oyster) having marine origin. Natural pearl is rarely found. For this reason, pearls served to consumers are cultured pearls. Sand or bead is put in oyster or mussel to produce cultured pearl. Thus, oyster starts to move and cover sand or bead with smooth layers of a material called “mother-of-pearl”. This crystallised element helps forming the crust by giving pearl a unique colour and magnificent brilliance.
The ones picture of which you see below are salty water cultured pearls offered by James A.. Pearls in this range are gathered from salty water pearl farms in different places in the world.
Origins of South Sea type cultured pearls are Australia, Indonesia, and Philippines. General term for oysters in this region is "Pinctada Maxima". There are two types of Pinctada Maxima; gold lipped and silver lipped. With gold, silver, or satin opaque outlooks, they are pretty different from reflective nature of Akoya pearls. South Sea pearls whose diameters are 10-15 mm and average 13 mm are present wild regions in Australia. At the total opposite of this, pearls in Indonesia and Philippines are about 2 mm smaller and grown in reproduction farms. Since it grows difficult to find pearls in similar sizes in pearl series, South Sea pearls are more expensive than Akoya pearls. This type of pearls is used for design of neckband, ring, and jewellery, which require less pearl. Tahitian cultured pearls come from lagoons of French Polynesia. Cook Islands, which became famous thanks to “Survivor” tv series, is another famous homeland of these pearls. "Pinctada Margaritifera" or "black lipped pearl" are another names for oysters producing Tahitian pearls. Diameter of this type of pearl offering a wide range of colours including eggplant, peafowl, and peanut is 8–14 mm and average 9,5 mm. With this big Tahitian pearls, exorbitant jewelleries in extraordinary colour schemes are designed. In addition to this, Tahitian pearls like South Sea pearls can be used in single, double, or set designs and hence sold at more affordable prices. Just like Akoya pearls, homeland of fresh water cultured pearls is China as well. However, these pearls do not grow inside the oyster, and are smaller and less round. Colour of this kind of pearl is unique because it can be processed to reach desired colour as well as being dependent upon natural properties of mussel. Molluscs producing these pearls are called mussel. Principal producer of fresh water pearls is Hyriopsis Cumingi. Some part of this type is grown in Japan; but, most part of the need for fresh water pearl in the world is met from China. China is capable of producing 15 times as much as all fresh water and salty water pearl producers can produce jointly because more than one pearl can be grown in a mussel, meaning many pearls in a lump. Diameter of each pearl of this type is 4 –11 mm. Producing fresh water pearl in such high quantity enables these pearls to be marketed at much more economical prices when compared with cultured pearls of another quality. Color
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