Just as human parents pass along genetic traits and characteristics, an oyster or mussel that carries a pearl, along with environmental factors, determines what the pearl will look like. In both natural and cultured pearls, color is greatly influenced by the mollusk’s mantle color; size is usually dictated by length of gestation; and the pearl’s shape is determined by the nuclei that is implanted (or implants itself) inside the mollusk. Finally, geography plays a role in a pearl’s ultimate appearance, as different mollusk species live in specific parts of the world. Throughout our Web site, you will see references to these major pearl types:

• Abalone pearls: Found mainly along the coasts of California and Mexico, Abalone pearls come from the most colorful of all pearl-producing mollusks. Being hemophiliacs, Abalone will bleed to death with only the smallest incision. Full pearls from the Abalone are always natural pearls, while half pearls or “mabe” pearls are made by implanting nuclei along the inside of the Abalone shell. We do not consider “mabe” pearls to be true pearls.

• Akoya Pearls: Cultured pearls grown exclusively in-body in the Pinctada species— a small oyster that lives in temperate ocean waters.

• Conch Pearls: The rarest and most valuable of all natural pearls, conch pearls come from many different subspecies of conch. Conch pearls used in jewelry mostly come from the Queen Conch (Strombus gigas) which are found throughout the Caribbean and Central American oceans. The finest quality conch pearls have a glowing pink color and a brilliant flame pattern below the surface.

• Japan Kasumi Pearls: Freshwater pearls from Japan. Lake Kasumi-ga-Ura, some 40 miles northeast of Tokyo, was a center of freshwater pearl cultivation from the 1960s to 1980s, 2nd only to Lake Biwa (near Kyoto) in number of cultivators and production. Most efforts ended due to environmental conditions during the 1980s, and for a decade there was no production. Since the early 1990s, a small handful of pearl farmers, without employees, have produced very small quantities of in-body bead nucleated freshwater pearls. We have acquired a considerable portion of the more baroque shaped pearls produced there.

• Keshi Pearls: Keshi is a term that is used for a variety of irregular-shaped pearls. A Japanese word also meaning “poppy”, the original meaning as applied to pearls is that they have no nucleus. Some freshwater pearls, and the results of mishaps that occur during the cultivation of nucleated pearls are commonly called keshi. To avoid ambiguities, knowledgeable dealers will not use the word by itself, but in conjunction with the species in which the pearls grew, or the place. Since their shape is determined by nature rather than cultivating techniques, keshi pearls are favorites among designers of unique one-of-a-kind jewelry.

• Quahog Pearls: Natural, freshwater pearls found on the Eastern shore of North America. Quahog (mercenaria Mercenaria) pearls range in color from white and beige to dark purple and lilac.

• Scallop Pearls: These pearls come from the Pacific Lion’s Paw, a bivalve mollusk found in the shallow waters of North and Central America. The mollusk’s name is derived from the shape of the shell, which resembles a lion’s paw. The most valuable of these pearls have a crystalline mosaic just under the pearl’s surface which lends them an unusual sparkle.

• Tahitian Pearls: Grown in black-lipped pearl oysters, Tahitian pearls don’t actually come from Tahiti, but rather from French Polynesia, and other small atolls throughout the South Pacific. Tahitian pearls (or black pearls) come in a variety of exotic colors.

• Freshwater Pearls: Freshwater pearls are produced by mussels and oysters that live in rivers, lakes or ponds. The majority of available freshwater pearls are cultivated; high quality natural specimens are rare and almost non-exsistent.

• Cultured Pearls: Developed in Japan during the 1920s, Akoya pearls dominated the market during much ofthe 20th century, andso molded the perception of pearls among two generations.

Natural and cultured pearls grow in both saltwater and freshwater environments. Generally speaking natural wild pearls are those found outside of a pearl farm. Those found in the wild are a surprising and precious gift. Cultured pearls are those grown with the addition of a nuclei. They are grown on farms and are not considered to be natural pearls. Learn more about lovely freshwater pearls.