Pearls - a symbol of purity, wealth, status, love and good future. Pearls have captured the fancy and imagination of man since time began and continues to do so even today. As pearls needed no cutting or shaping, being naturally perfect, they were prized above gold and all other gems in the olden times.

Natural, spherical pearls have been cultured successfully since the 1920's. In this process, a mother-of-pearl bead, from three-quarters to nine-tenths of the diameter of the desired product, is introduced into the pearl oyster. Over a period of years the oyster deposits layers of nacre around the bead.

Pearls can be basically divided in two main categories - real and imitation pearls. Real pearls are of two kinds, natural and cultured.

These are formed naturally when the oyster protects itself from an irritant that enter it accidentally or naturally without man's intervention or aid.


These are formed in the same way as natural pearls, with the exception of man implanting the irritant in the oyster. From then on it's the same process as in natural pearls. Cultured pearls are not easily distinguished from genuine pearls except by an expert. Healthy oysters are selected in which a roundl fragment is implanted from another oyster known as the nucleus. The oyster is then placed back in the waters where it begins the process of forming the pearls or cultivation, which normally takes 3 to 4 years.



When you are buying pearls, you are most probably buying akoya pearls, as these are produced in the greatest quantity of all cultured pearls and are, therefore the most frequently used in jewellery These are cultivated off the western and southern coasts of Japan. They are commonly also called sea water pearls. They are usually found in sizes from 2mm to 9mm. Pearls above 9mm in akoya are very rare.


These are the pearls that women just cannot resist! They are cultivated mainly in French Polynesia. Owning to their sensual colour and size, these pearls fetch high prices.


These are called the "The Queen of Pearls", as they are the most beautiful and majestic of pearls. They come in beautiful overtones of silver and pink, and the black pearls have sensual overtones of peacock green and majestic purple. These pearls come in sizes from 9mm to 16mm and sometimes exceptionally larger than 16mm. Australia is one famous for its white pearls while the Tahiti islands are for their black pearls.


They are cultivated in oysters in freshwater rivers and lakes. These are found in abundance in China and also in the Biwa lakes of Japan. United States of America is also a producer of freshwater pearls. They come in an endless variety of shape, size and colours.

Known as fakes, made of fish scales, porcelain, glass and plastic. They are totally manmade and find application in the cosmetic and imitation jewellery industry. With the exception of imitation pearls we can say that natural and cultured pearls are real pearls.