We all know of the traditional white round string of pearls or the ivory tones of pearls. Did you ever know that there are so many options to explore and try your hands on? This article will throw some light on the types of pearls that are available to match your different looks you want to flaunt.
Natural versus Cultured pearls
Natural pearls are the ones we obtain from the sea, formed naturally within the shells of a pearl oyster without any human intervention. These are extremely rare. It takes a lot of time for these pearls to naturally form and are hence commercially non-viable. These cannot be used in jewellery and they are usually specimens preserved in museums.
The commercially used genuine pearls in jewellery are all cultured pearls. Since they are all cultured by humans, there are many types and options in these pearls, for instance the Japanese Akoya pearls. Let’s explore each of these in detail below –
- Akoya pearls are the most conventional and popular types of cultured pearls. They are cultured using the Japanese Akoya oysters, in Japan and China. The colour ranges from pink to silvery blue.
- South Sea pearls are the cultured in the northern waters of Australia. They are highly valued for its size and rarity for they take 2 to 6 years to form fully after nucleation. The come in colour tones like white, silvery blue to gold and pale yellow.
- Tahitian pearls are from the South Pacific. They come in hues of silver and green to charcoal. These are iridescent beauties which adapt to match with any colour they are worn with.
- Hanadama pearls are the finest of the Japanese Akoya pearls which are prefect spheres and of superior quality. Their name in Japanese mean spherical flowers.
So why wait anymore. You have so many options, shapes and colours in pearls now. Try out and choose what style and colour suits you the best or collect all types and shapes if you are a person crazy about pearls!
