Freshwater pearls
Pearls are considered to be a type of precious stones which are used as jewellery pieces like; bracelets, rings, necklaces, wedding bands, etc. There are many different types of pearls and some of them are more precious than the others.
• The most valuable pearls are said to be the freshwater pearls. These pearls are naturally grown in mussels and it takes about 1 to 2 years to harvest them. 20 or more pearls can be grown within a single mussel.
• Another type of pearls are the Japanese cultured pearls. As the name indicates these pearls are associated with Japan. These pearls come in variety of different colours like; gold, rose, cream and white.
• South Sea pearls are also considered as precious ones. As the name suggests, these pearls are produced within the South Sea.
• The most expensive type of pearls are the saltwater cultured pearls. These pearls are produced within the oysters in the saltwater. The time required to grow these specific types of pearls is around 2 and a half years. The reason why these pearls are so expensive is that each oyster can grow only one pearl at a single time. There are different colours of saltwater pearls but the most precious and rare are the black pearls which are grown in Tahiti saltwater.
• A large dome shaped pearl which is usually used for making rings is the Mabe pearl. These pearls are produced by attaching a plastic hemispherical structure inside the oyster shell which is then covered by the oyster. During the harvesting of these pearls the pearl is cut off from the shell and the inner side of the mabe is filled with some sort of substance to give it a bit weight.
Hence, these are just a few types of pearls which are used for making beautiful jewellery pieces. Other than these, there are many other different types of pearls that are grown all around the world. The colour, weight and make of pearls determine their preciousness. It is said that naturally grown pearls are more valuable than the cultured pearls.
