Pearls by Angela Carol

The new wave of freshwater pearls.

Pearls have always been considered objects of beauty and status symbols of wealth.  Today they are still objects of beauty and they still show some one has wealth but not like pearls have done throughout history.  This is because of the fact that by cultivating pearls we have made pearls more readily accessible to the every day person and not just kings and emperors any longer.  One of the most ironic things that is happening today in the world of freshwater pearls is that the least expensive pearl, which is the freshwater pearl, is now rivaling the most expensive natural pearl that have ever existed in their quality.

Freshwater pearls are now being cultivated in the most unique fashion which is now bringing about a change in the pearl industry.  Freshwater pearls were considered to be sub standard and even at one time called “krispies” due to the way that they were shaped and the way that they looked.  But today freshwater pearls are once again becoming the most beautiful pearls around.

To understand this freshwater pearl explosion we should first look at the process of how a pearl is made.  First natural freshwater pearls are created in mussels and saltwater pearls are created in oysters.  Now when a foreign material gets into the shell and starts to irritate the mollusk, it coats the foreigner with the same material that it uses to build its shell called nacre.  That is basically what a pearl is.

Now for years people have tried to cultivate freshwater pearls that would give even the most highest quality saltwater pearl a run for its money but to no avail.  Freshwater pearls were small and flake like in shape.  They rarely produced a round or even a semi round pearl that was of a higher quality.  Although in Japan in the early 1930’s there was a lake called Biwa.  And in this lake the Japanese pearl farmers discovered that they could cultivate some very nice freshwater pearls in the most unusual colors. They were colors very unlike the colors of saltwater pearls and there for many people desired these new pearls.  They were sold at a much less expensive price than saltwater pearls and these freshwater pearls really exploded.  This lake produced amazing freshwater pearls for decades until pollution from neighboring buildings and factories destroyed the lake and the production of the freshwater pearls stopped. 

When this happened China was there to pick up the dying freshwater pearl market.  There first attempt of cultivating fresh water pearls was to say the least unsuccessful.  This attempt left us with what we call “krispies”.  There was a second wave of freshwater pearls from China in the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s but this attempt barely even registered in the world market.  Now however China has learned from its mistakes in pearl cultivating and has also learned some other technology to help them in their freshwater pearl cultivation.  And this has greatly paid off.

Freshwater pearls that come out of China to day are beautiful and full of luster.  They are coming in amazing neutral and natural colors that the pearl public absolutely loves.  They are cultivating pearls that are larger in size and truly are very close to the prized Japanese Akoya pearl.  The freshwater pearls from China today are being sold at a fraction of the price and are giving the same if not better quality.  Buying freshwater pearls today could soon be something that we all do.  These high quality round gems are taking over because their cost is substantially less than other pearls of the same quality.