Freshwater pearls
Pearls come in different types, shapes and colours, and there are freshwater pearls and saltwater pearls. If you are planning to buy one for yourself or for someone special then some knowledge on the difference between freshwater pearls and saltwater pearls is essential. This article is about freshwater pearls.
Freshwater pearls make wonderful yet affordable jewellery for women. One of the main reasons why freshwater pearls have become one of the most popular types of pearl is that they is not as expensive as the saltwater pearls. This is because they are easier to cultivate and seed, and because a single pearl mussel can include multiple pearls.
In addition to this, freshwater pearls come in different colors, shapes and sizes, allowing people to choose from a wide range of designs. You will find freshwater pearls in various colours including pink, white, silver, grey, blue and brown.
Freshwater pearls are available in many shapes and colours
Freshwater pearls are formed of solid nacre and therefore are usually more durable and resistant to wear than saltwater pearls. This is because, unlike with saltwater pearls, freshwater pearls don’t have a bead of shell inside. The formation of a pearl starts when a small piece of pearl is inserted, which triggers the mussel to make a pearl out of nacre.
Both freshwater and saltwater pearls can be classified into two types: natural pearls and cultured pearls. Natural pearls are made by the hand of nature while the cultured pearls are the result of human intervention. Virtually all pearls that are available are cultured pearls. China is the largest producer of freshwater pearls nowadays, taking over from Japan, the country where the process of culturing freshwater pearls was invented and commercialised.
Among different types of freshwater pearls, Biwa pearls were renowned for quality. These originated from Lake Biwa- one of the largest freshwater lakes in Japan. However, unfortunately the production of Biwa pearls has fallen much in recent times because of industrial pollution. Now China is the main country that produces commercial quantities of freshwater pearls.
The quality of freshwater pearls varies significantly. Freshwater pearls tend to be less regular than saltwater pearls, but a good freshwater pearl will have good lustre. The lower quality pearls are small and irregular in shape, with little lustre and can be commonly seen in low cost necklaces. These have been compared to “rice krispies”. Due to improvements in quality from less insertions per shell and using a different variety of shellfish, these are not seen as often now as previously.
If you want to buy a top quality freshwater pearl jewelry, you can easily gather all the necessary information including location of stores, product descriptions, prices and images of different jewellery designs through the Internet. In fact you do not even have to go from one store to another physically to buy jewelry but instead can buy from the comfort of your house through an online jewelry store. The entire process is very simple and safe as long as you are making the purchase from an authentic and reputable seller.
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