Pearls by Angela Carol

One of the most beautiful and exquisite form of pearls would have to be the South Sea pearl.  This South Sea pearl is the largest form of pearls that there is.  They generally grow to be quite big and are very precious.  These are the some of the reasons that the South Sea Pearl is known as “the Queen of Pearls” and has been called such for many, many years.

The term South Sea pearl is actually a reference to any pearl that was grown or cultivated in certain areas around the world.  In these oceans such as the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, the South Sea pearl can be found.  These pearls can also be found in the areas surrounding Northern Australia, around the Philippines, around Malaysia and also in areas surrounding Indonesia.  These are the areas or regions where the type of oyster that creates the South Sea pearl is usually located.

That type of oyster is known as the silver lip oyster and also the gold lip oyster.  These types of oysters are what are going to give the South Sea pearl its color.  The silver lip oyster will create a pearl with a white or slightly white color and also have a silver overtone.  A gold lip oyster in turn will create a pearl with a creamy yellow pearl with gold or yellow overtones.  They silver lip oyster and the pearls that they create can usually be found in the regions around North Australia.  The South Sea pearls that have more of a yellow or golden tone and where created from the gold lip oyster would be found in the regions around the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand, usually in the south eastern region of Asia.

There are different values placed on a South Sea pearl depending on the color of the pearl.  The white and the pink colors of the South Sea pearl are usually a little more valuable than the creamy or the yellow colored pearls.  So that means that the silver lip oyster will more than likely produce a pearl that is higher in value than a pearl that is created from a gold lip pearl.  Also when it comes to overtones of a pearl, the pearl that has a pink overtone or a silver overtone will generate more a value than a pearl that has a blue overtone or a green overtone or even a pearl with a gray overtone.

Along with the color of a South Sea pearl the luster of the pearl will also either add or take away from the value of the pearl.  The luster of a pearl is said to be the shine on the surface.  A pearl that has a brilliant reflection would be a pearl that has an excellent luster.  A pearl that has a less than brilliant reflection or one that is weaker than other luster would be less of a grade of a pearl.  The silver lip and the gold lip oyster will produce pearls will a high grade of luster the majority of the time.  Even though the South Sea pearl does have a nice luster it does not have as good of a luster as the Akoya pearl does, the Akoya is actually known for its luster.

Now when trying to find the type of pearl that you would like to invest in and purchase you need to realize why you are buying the pearls to begin with.  If you are looking for pearls that are in size very impressive you will want to get South Sea pearls.  They are by far the largest types of pearls.  You will also want to make sure that you are getting the opinion of some one who knows about pearls before you purchase them.