SALTWATER PEARLS
Saltwater pearls are produced by oysters found in the sea and generally only a single pearl per shell is found. They originate from places such as Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, Tahiti, and the Philippines. South Sea pearls, Tahitian pearls, and Akoya pearls all belong to the saltwater pearl family.
Among the larger saltwater varieties, South Sea pearls will typically reach 11 - 14mm in diameter. In some cases they can grow much larger. Part of the desirability of South Sea pearls may be the iridescent gold and silver hues they acquire from the silver-lip and gold-lip molluscs in which they grow.
Tahitian pearls are cultured in black-lip oysters. They have a darker nacre with surface iridescence and overtones of peacock, blue, green, purple and gold.
How do they compare to other types of pearls?
Saltwater pearls in general are bigger than freshwater pearls, and the general rule of thumb is the bigger the pearl, the higher the value.
Compared to freshwater pearls which have a wide range of shapes, saltwater pearls are usually near-round or round in shape.
Saltwater pearls are usually golden, black and white in colour, and do not take on pink and purple hues naturally. On the other hand, freshwater pearls are usually white, pink and purple in colour. They are never naturally black or golden.
Saltwater pearl oysters usually produce one pearl at a time, whereas freshwater pearl mussels are capable of producing average 24 - 32 pearls at a time.
How rare and valuable are they?
Cultured South Sea pearls have also been known to reach astronomical prices at auctions. In 1992, a strand of 23 Australian South Sea pearls sold for $2.3 million at Sotheby’s Geneva.
If you are looking for the most valuable pearls and jewellery customizations, feel free to contact us at +65 8938 9301. Our in-house experts will gladly provide any assistance and lend their expertise to answer any questions you might have regarding our pearls.
Specialise in Real Pearl
Our Pearls are Handpicked from the seas and lakes of Southeast Asia, Japan, China and Australia.Pearl identification examination done in PSL Tokyo, Japan or GIA in New York, USA. We guarantee all our product used 100% Genuine Pearl.
