Cultured pearls
Unique, and made by pure chance and nature herself, oisters started being cultivated to make pearls at the start of the 21st century using a technique developed by the Japanese during the 20th century. Since then, this technique has been used to cultivate pearls all around the Pacific ocean, from Japan to French Polynesia.
Cultured pearls are highly sought after by jewellers and always appreciated by the majority of people.
Different types of cultured pearls
Japanese cultured pearl from Akoya
Akoya Japanese cultured pearl on an 18k gold ring
Created in Japan from the Pinctada Fucata oister and cultivated for over a century, these pearls are between 2 and 9 millimeters in diameter, and present themselves with a naturally white color with nuances of cream or pink. Their shine is nothing short of spectacular, and even a novice in the world of cultured pearls is able to instantly differenciate a Japanese cultured pearl and a white freshwater cultured pearl.
Australian golden cultured pearls
Australian cultured pearl 18k gold earrings
Also known as South Sea pearls, these cultured are unique thanks to a very distinctive color and massive size,. From a white with a silver tint, to a remarable golden color, and ranging from an already sizable 9mm to a truly immense 20mm. Cultivated with the Pinctada Maxima oister, Australian pearls are a very recent, and very expensive type of pearl that is still seeing massively fluctuating prices, due in no small part to their 2 year development cycle.
Tahitian cultured pearls
Silver pendant with zircons and a Tahitian pearl
Created in the French Polynesian archipelago by the Pinctada Margaritifera oister, The Tahitian pearl is world renowned for its varied colors and nuances. From a sober light grey to a deep black color, emcompassing green and at times blue tints, and even extremely rarely red in color, Tahitian pearls are truly unique for their varied colors and nuances.
Tahitian pearls are average in size, between 7 and 16mm, with some very rare pearls that can reach 18mm in diameter.
Another remarkable feature unique to Tahitian pearls is the shape they can take. In addition to the pristine round pearls, baroque, pear shaped and button shaped pearls, there are circled pearls with distinctive grooves. These imperfect pearls are very popular thanks to their lower price and the beauty that can be found in its imperfection, and the fact that no two circled Tahitian pearl will ever be identical.
An exemple of a circled Tahiti pearl on a leather necklace
Freshwater cultured pearls
A particular type of cultured pearl, they are currently the only cultured pearls that don't come from oister, but rather from freshwater mussels.
These pearls started being cultivated during the 13th century in China. The are the most common pearls, due to their low price and colorful apperance that can be integrated into casual jewelry as well as high end luxury.
Measuring from a tiny 2mm to 13mm in diameter, they come in a variety of colors. The most common is white, but they very regularily come in pink, mauve, peach, and even orange.