Misty asked:
what’s a disproportion in between freshwater as well as saltwater pearls alternative than a price? Why compensate so most some-more for saltwater pearls???
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what’s a disproportion in between freshwater as well as saltwater pearls alternative than a price? Why compensate so most some-more for saltwater pearls???
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Posted on January 21st, 2010 by Pearls
Filed under: Fashion & Accessories
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This is actually a very good question; one I get very often as a matter of fact.
Let’s start with the reason saltwater pearls are more costly.
Saltwater pearls come from saltwater mollusks while freshwater pearls are produced by freshwater mussels. Every type of saltwater pearl (akoya, Tahitian, South Sea) is produced by inserting a rounded bead of mother of pearl and a small piece of mantle tissue into the gonad of the mollusk. This is a delicate procedure and not all of the shells survive. Those that survive will typically only produce one pearl, except in the case of akoya which can accept one to five beads. The procedure is very difficult to master and so the number of saltwater pearl farmers around the world is quite limited.
The process of cultivating freshwater pearls is different than that of saltwater. The procedure is much more simple. The mussel is grafted in the fleshy muscles (the mantle tissue) around the lip of the shell. Either side of the valve can take 12 to 16 grafts. This means that ultimately a single shell can produce up to 32 pearls – and after harvest they may be returned to the water to produce 32 more. Because the procedure is also a simple one, there are thousands of families in China producing freshwater pearls in small ponds as extra income for their families.
The next more obvious difference in the cost comes down to the aesthetic qualities of saltwater and freshwater pearls.
Saltwater pearls, especially akoya pearls, tend to be very round. This is due to the round, mother of pearl bead that is inside every cultured saltwater pearl (that is not a keshi pearl). Freshwater pearls do not have this mother of pearl bead, and are therefore very rarely perfectly round. They can be perfectly round, however. But gem grade round freshwater pearls are rare (search ‘freshadama’ on Yahoo or google).
Saltwater pearls tend to be more lustrous than freshwater pearls as well. This is due to the fine layering of nacre (platelets of aragonite formed in a concentric pattern on the bead nucleus) that saltwater pearls are known for. Freshwater pearls are more often a bit more dullish and less reflective.
Which is the better value?
In my expert opinion freshwater pearls are the better value. I wrote an article last year on this very subject which can be found here (http://ezinearticles.com/?Pearls—The-Connoisseurs-Choice&id=487662 ).
The best freshwater pearls can be more beautiful as any standard commercial grade saltwater pearl. But the cost will almost always be lower. Also, freshwater pearls are solid nacre – saltwater pearls are not. This means freshwater pearls are all pearl. They are therefore more durable than saltwater pearls. Akoya pearls, for example, are very delicate and can crack if the nacre is not thick enough.
Hope this answers your questions. If you would like to research this a bit more check pearl-guide.com’s forums.