Freshwater Pearl Jewelry Shopping Guide

By Author: Robert Thomson
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Most women love shopping. They buy several clothes, bags, and shoes among others. Jewelries are also an important part of their wardrobe, and they would like to own several pieces as much as their money would allow.

Do you know that there is a kind of jewelry that can be found in almost all jewelry boxes owned by women? Yes, they are called pearls. Pearls are made up of nacre, which is manufactured by mollusks, mussels, or oysters as their defense mechanism. When a foreign body enters their shell, they immediately coat it with this iridescent material to protect their sensitive flesh. These pearls are used today as timeless jewelry pieces that complement a woman's dress.

There are two kinds of pearls as follows:
1. Freshwater pearls - grown and harvested in lakes, ponds, or rivers.
2. Seawater pearls - grown and harvested from the sea. They are named after the type of bivalve mollusks that produced them such as Tahitian, Akoya, and South Sea Pearls.

Natural pearls are those that grow without human intervention, and cultured pearls are developed when humans implant a foreign object inside ...
... the mollusk or oyster to begin the process of nacre coating. Since natural pearls are already rare, most of the pearls in the market today are cultured pearls.

Freshwater cultured pearls come in a much wider range of shapes and colors than the saltwater kind. Their colors range from champagne, white, off-white, shades of purple, mauve, pink, orange, silver and brown. Their shapes come in great variety such as:

1. Round - traditional shape often used as bridal jewelry
2. Rice - small and irregularly shaped, and with crinkled surfaces
3. Potato - irregular and oblong shaped, similar to a potato
4. Oval - egg-shaped
5. Mabe - shaped like a dome
6. Keshi - tiny pearls known as poppy seeds
7. Buttons - round but flat on one side
8. Coin - flat on both sides
9. Baroque - free form, with no pre-determined shape
10. Circle - with concave, concentric lines, also called ring pearl.

These varied freshwater pearls can be made into necklaces, bracelets or earrings. You can use it for yourself, or they can also be given as fashionable gifts. The price would depend on a lot of factors: the type of pearl, their roundness, size, and the absence of flaws. These pearls are usually measured in millimeters, varying from 5mm to 18 mm. All factors being equal, larger pearls are more expensive than smaller pearls. Also, a perfect round pearl without marks cost more than a slightly asymmetrical pearl with a mark or a flaw.

If you are looking for an affordable pearl, settle for freshwater pearls instead. They are also beautiful like seawater pearls, yet they are less expensive. Plus you can get a lot of variety to suit either your casual or formal attire.

When you are shopping for pearls, remember to check the luster. Observe it in under good light intensity to check its glow. Also make sure you examine the pearl for scratches or flaws. Choose the one that has the least markings as possible, these pearls are very sensitive and it will be difficult to find one that is completely blemish free.