Pearl Buying Secrets - Akoya Pearls or Freshwater
by Lise Lepa, President and CEO, Pearls Only
When you decided to purchase pearls you will likely be overwhelmed with all kinds of decisions. There are so many terms used in relation to pearls: Freshwater, Saltwater, Akoya, overtones, nacre, millimeters, etc, etc.
Basically, when purchasing pearls, one of the first decisions you need to make is whether to purchase freshwater pearls or saltwater pearls. This is what I call a "super decision". Make this decision up front and you can narrow down you search in 1/2! The question is, what is the difference between freshwater and saltwater, and what should I decide?
| A very good question indeed! Pearls are grown by mollusks. Mollusks are living organisms. The mollusks that grow freshwater pearls are called mussels, and the mollusks that grow saltwater (Akoya) pearls are called Oysters. In both cases the animals are very similar; when a foreign body is inserted into them, they try to remove the irritation the best way they can, and that is by covering it with nacre (the shiny outer surface of the pearl). Freshwater mussels can grow up to 40 pearls in one shell. Although they can create many pearls it takes about 2 to 6 years for them to grow these pearls. Compare this to an Akoya oyster, that can create only 1 to 5 pearls in a 6 month to 2 year period. Why such a big time difference? |
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Much of this has to do with the way the two types of mollusks are coached into making pearls. In freshwater pearls a tiny, tiny (2mm) piece of mussel tissue is inserted into the mussel. The mussel then proceeds to cover this irritant with nacre - and continues to cover it for many years. In contrast, with Akoya pearls, a relatively large bead and tiny piece of tissue is inserted into the oyster. This bead serves as an irritant to the oyster and the oyster, just like a mussel, proceeds to cover it with nacre. However, because the oysters are raised in the colder waters of the ocean, they grow much slower and unlike the freshwater pearls that start from 1mm, the bead inserted into the oyster is a large part of the final pearl size.
Freshwater mussels create pearls relatively quick compared to saltwater BUT because they start from nothing (just a tiny piece of tissue),they have a lot of pearl to grow when compared to a saltwater pearls.
However because they do grow from this tiny (2mm) tissue they create a pearl that is 100% nacre compared to saltwater pearls. In fact, freshwater pearls are 100% nacre as compared to 0.2mm or 3 mm nacre for saltwater pearls. Is there a catch?! Yes, because the freshwater pearls grow from virtually nothing, their shape will not always be as perfectly round as that of Akoya which starts its growth from a round bead. At PearlsOnly our AAAA grade pearls are as round as Akoya pearls
A handy comparison chart below, shows the differences between the two types of pearls.
| Feature |
Freshwater Pearl |
Akoya Pearls |
| Nacre thickness |
100% nacre |
0.2mm to 3mm |
| Cultivation |
Tissue |
Bead and tissue |
| Number of Pearls Per Mollusk |
40-50 |
1 to 5 |
| Time to grow |
2 to 6 years |
6 months to 2 years |
| Luster |
Good to Outstanding
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Good to Outstanding |
| Surface |
Light Blemish to Very Clean |
Light Blemish to Very Clean |
| Roundness |
Off-round to round |
Round or near round |
Tip #1: Freshwater pearls are an excellent value. You get amazing looking pearls, made of 100% lustrous nacre. Because they can grow many pearls instead of a few, they offer huge savings for super quality.
Tip #2: Akoya pearls are great buy when you are looking for a the absolutely the best pearls. The price is certainly higher than freshwater pearl and the quality increase over freshwater is very small compared to extra costs. Akoya's are certainly for those that love to own the best!
Now that you are able to make your "Super Decision - Freshwater or Saltwater" I will next explain to you how we select pearls and what YOU need to consider regarding size when you are buying your necklace or set!
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