Freshwater Pearls

Natural freshwater pearls occur in mussels for the same reason that saltwater pearls occur in oysters, and are now cultivated for the same reason was well.Typically less spherical and symmetrical, their natural luminescence and remarkable colors, unseen in saltwater pearls, have popular appeal.Imperial’s Crown cultured freshwater pearls are selected from the top 2% of the entire freshwater crop.

Lustre

They differ from saltwater pearls in that freshwater pearls are almost entirely made up of nacre - the substance that gives pearls their luster and longevity.

Surface

Freshwater pearls have a wide range of surface qualities such as spots, bumps, pits, wrinkles and rings.

Shape

Unlike all other cultured pearls, which use a small round bead shell nucleus and a piece of mantle tissue from a donor oyster, the Freshwater pearls simply use mantle tissue only for the nucleus.This results in a wide variety of shapes, most of which are not round.

Color

Although white is the most common color,freshwater pearls are noted for their wide range of color; they can be found in pink, salmon, red, copper, bronze, brown, lavender, purple, green, blue, cream, and yellow.

Size

Freshwater pearls come in sizes from 1.5mm to 18mm but more typically 4mm to 12mm

Matching

Due the large amount of pearls produced, freshwater pearls are much easier to match than all other types.

Freshwater Jewelry