How To Buy Pearls: What are the different types of pearls?

Natural Pearls
Natural pearls are rare and expensive; most in today's market are vintage. When an irritant enters a mollusk's shell it forms continuous layers of nacre which grow like onion skins around the particle. The result is a pearl. Natural pearls have irregular shapes due to the shape of the particle.

Cultured Pearls
Cultured pearls also grow inside mollusks, but by human intervention. A shell is carefully opened and an object is inserted. Cultured pearls are sold by their size in millimeters.

Saltwater Pearls
Saltwater pearls come from saltwater mollusk. Saltwater pearls can be natural or cultured.

Freshwater Pearls
Freshwater pearls come from mollusks residing in rivers and lakes.

• To inspect pearls, place them on a flat, white surface directly beneath a light.


• Check the luster of each pearl individually. Lustrous pearls have a shiny surface, good contrast between light and dark areas, and strong, crisp reflections. Avoid dull, cloudy pearls that look like white beads.


• The 'orient,' of high-quality pearls should display an iridescent rainbow of colors.


• The 'overtone,' is a tint secondary to a pearl's main body color.


• Pinkish overtones are desirable while green or blue tints are not.


• Test the roundness of a strand of pearls by rolling them on a flat surface. Round pearls will roll more smoothly and evenly.

If you question a pearl's authenticity, run it lightly along the biting edge of your front teeth. Real pearls feel gritty or sandy while fake pearls will feel smooth. This is a widely practiced test that most jewelers should readily accommodate. Just be sure to ask first.

Look at and feel the pearl. Absolutely flawless-looking pearls, as well as those that feel unusually light when you bounce them in your hands, are probably fake.

Ask to view the pearl under a 10magnifier (a loupe). Imitation pearls will look a little grainy.

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