Why a real pearl necklace costy?

Pearl necklaces have always been the darling of jewelry circles at home and abroad. Whether they are big-name stars in the entertainment industry or ordinary friends around them, their love for pearls is beyond words. But looking at the pearl market and two very similar necklaces, the prices are worlds apart. Why is this? What is the difference between the often heard seawater pearls and freshwater pearls? Today, I will introduce it to you in detail.

Pearls divide into two categories: wild pearls and cultured pearls. 

99% of pearls on the market are cultured pearls. Natural pearls are expensive and not guaranteed quality, so they are ignored.

Cultured pearls divide into seawater pearls and freshwater pearls.

Seawater pearls are pearls cultivated in the sea or bays, roughly divided into 

Japanese Akoya seawater pearls

Australian white pearls

South Sea seawater pearls

Tahitian black pearls

Freshwater pearls are pearls cultivated in lakes or rivers; the primary origin is in Zhejiang, China.

Generally speaking, the overall quality of seawater pearls will be much higher than that of freshwater pearls. Of course, it will not be absolute. There are also some high-quality freshwater pearls, and the price will not be meager. Seawater pearls also have poor quality and are full of Defects. The price is too high to sell.

But friends who know a little about the pearl market understand that the price of seawater pearls is generally much higher than that of freshwater pearls.

We explain why seawater pearls are more expensive than freshwater pearls from the following points.

The first is the production and operating costs

Pearls are a miracle of life. When the shellfish itself is diseased, or the body accidentally enters sand or other foreign objects, the shellfish continuously secretes a substance to wrap the diseased position or foreign body layer by layer for its protection, thereby forming pearls. Nucleated culture refers to artificially implanting the bead nucleus into the shell. The secretion of the mother oyster wraps the bead nucleus in a concentric ring structure to generate pearls. Nucleus culture does not implant the pearl nucleus but through the shellfish cell membrane transplantation or the tableting process to stimulate the secretion of substances from the mother oyster to obtain pearls. Most seawater pearls are cultured with nuclei. Generally, a female oyster can only breed 1-2 seawater pearls. The survival rate of female oysters is relatively low, the rejection rate after implantation is high, and the output is scarce. In seawater, the management and care of shellfish are more complicated, and the operating costs are higher. When freshwater pearls are cultured, a mother oyster can breed a dozen or even dozens of pearls, and the mother oyster has a high survival rate. It is easier to manage and care for the shellfish in lakes or rivers, and the operating cost is lower than that of marine aquaculture. Moreover, the yield is much larger than that of seawater pearls.

In shape

Seawater pearls are a single shell (usually, a mother shell can only breed 1-2 seawater pearls), there is no mutual extrusion between pearls, and with the core as the center, the shellfish secretes bright and smooth pearls. The mass wraps the bead nucleus layer by layer, and the shape is round and large. There are many freshwater pearls per shell (a mother shell can breed a dozen or even dozens of pearls), and the pearls squeeze against each other. In addition, they are mainly cultured without seed. The shape is naturally irregular, generally rice-shaped, oval, and oblate. It isn't easy to obtain perfectly round pearls. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "pearls are round and jade-like." The round pearls represent the peak of shape and quality. The rounder, the better, and the bigger, the better, so seawater pearls are better.

In color

Among the seawater pearls, the most common Japanese Akoya are white, white translucent powder, a small amount of gold and the luster is excellent. The brightness is exceptionally high, call as a small light bulb. Australian white pearls are mainly white. South Sea pearls include elegant pure white pearls and elegant gold pearls. The black color of translucent green, translucent blue, translucent purple, or translucent silver gray is the color of natural Tahitian pearls. Generally, the standard natural color of freshwater pearls is white, and other colors are relatively rare.

Seawater pearls are bred in the natural sea and contain rich minerals and various nutrients. Low-yield seawater pearls can ensure their organic matter content, transparent texture, gorgeous luster, relatively delicate hand feel, and moisturizing feeling strong. Freshwater pearls grow in lakes or rivers, mainly cultivated by feed. The minerals and trace elements contained in them are not as many as those in seawater. The content of inorganic substances is high, organic substances are relatively low, and the luster is much softer than that of seawater pearls.

On the nacre

Seawater pearls are primarily cultured with nuclei. The diameter of the bead nucleus accounts for the majority of the diameter of the pearl. The nacre layer is relatively thin. The pearl layer of the jewelry grade is about 3~5mm, and the pearl above 5mm is more precious. It mainly depends on the seawater. Cultured with natural materials, pearls grow slowly, the nacre layer density is high, the pearlescence is brighter, and the luster retention time is better. Most freshwater pearls are seedless and cultured mainly on artificial feed. They grow fast and have a low density. The nacre layer can reach 7-8mm in one or two years.

The above conclusions base on the average quality of seawater pearls and freshwater pearls, but there are also poor quality seawater pearls. With the improvement of artificial culture technology, freshwater pearls are also of good quality. Better or worse depends on the specific situation and detailed analysis.