Real Pearls are usually categorized by their source. Pearls found in the wild are called Natural Pearls and are the most expensive pearls. Pearls grown by Pearl farmers are called Cultured Pearls. If the Pearls are grown in saltwater oysters, they’re called Saltwater Pearls and if they’re grown in freshwater mussels, they’re called Freshwater Pearls.

Freshwater Pearls are relatively more abundant and more affordable than Saltwater Pearls. However, Saltwater Pearls, like the Akoya, tend to be bigger and more shiny than Freshwater Pearls.

Here are 7 interesting things about the beauty of the Pearl.

Pearls can have highly-reflective shine like Akoyas or Satin-like shine like South Sea Pearls. But that’s not all. A Pearl is not a pearl without its signature, enigmatic inner glow. This has to do with how the many layers of nacre under the surface of the Pearl reflect light. [‘A Brief History of Pearls’]

Pearls come in many colours. Creams & whites are most popular across cultures. Silver gray, gold and black Pearls are prized for their colours too. That said, body colour is only half the colour story of the Pearl. The Pearl wears its colours with nuance. So, there’ll be hints, overtones, and maybe some orient at play! [READ MORE]

An overtone is the subtle colour that gently reflects on the surface of the pearl. It will seem to hover faintly on the surface, becoming more visible when a pearl is held up to light. Popular overtones include Rosé, Mild Gold, Silver, and White.[READ MORE]

This is the feature of Pearls that appear to show the colours of the rainbow. The scientific name for this phenomenon is Iridescence. It is most remarkable in Tahitian Pearls.

In 2011, the Chinese Pearl industry introduced Ming and Edison Pearls to the market. These Freshwater Cultured Pearls are bigger and more colourful than other freshwater Pearls. They also show strong orient in pastel and metallic colours.[READ MORE]

Perfectly shaped pearls are actually quite rare. Saltwater Pearls do tend to be more symmetric than Freshwater Pearls. This is one of the reasons why Akoya Pearls are considered more valuable. In general though, a pearl processor must sort through a significant number of Pearls in order to find and match the roundest ones. Now you know why a necklace of ‘perfectly’ round Pearls can be very expensive.

Most Pearls are irregular in shape. However, Pearls are not discarded for shape imperfections. They’re simply sorted and matched to create sets that are similarly irregular. [READ MORE]

Very large pearls are also quite rare. The largest Pearls tend to be roughly 20mm (2cm) in diameter and, the most popular size of pearl is 7mm wide. If Ming & Edison Pearls are any indication however, the Chinese Freshwater Pearl Industry could modify this size equation in the coming years.

Round and rounded Pearls are historically the most preferred shapes for Pearls. The most interesting shapes however, are delightfully irregular. Irregularly shaped Pearls are called Baroque Pearls and in recent times, they have become exceedingly popular.

Stick Pearls, Rice Pearls, and Potato Pearls are irregularly shaped and are popular with artisan jewellery makers like myself.

Souffle and fireball Pearls are the new Baroques. Their amorphous, blown-up shapes are so unique that they lend a special ‘je ne sais quoi’ to jewellery. Souffle & Fireball Pearls are usually hollow on one side. When I first learned about them years ago, I knew we could use them to re-invent Pearl jewellery for today’s adventurous woman.

Artisan and Boutique jewellers have risen to the challenge. They are embracing the wild and free forms of the new Baroques and are designing stunning jewellery. While some jewellers conceal the hollow side of Souffle Pearls, others fill them with diamonds, opals and seed pearls, creating jewellery that are very beautiful & very unique. Take a look at some of my favourites!

I expect more artisans to embrace the unique beauty of Souffle Pearls. As unruly as those ballooned forms seem, they all but guarantee that each item of jewellery is unique. Jewellers on opposite sides of the world can make round Pearl necklaces that are perfectly identical. The same cannot be said of Souffle Pearl jewellery. Each one will be unique in its own way.