Freshwater pearls or Saltwater pearls?

Choose Freshwater Pearls If:

  • You’re worried the pearls will be handled roughly and/or lost. The lower price points will make them relatively easy to replace, and these are HIGHLY recommended as “first pearls” gifts for young girls and ladies.
  • Your budget is not high but you still want a pretty white pearl necklace then White Freshwater pearls will hit all the right notes for a good price.
  • You’re looking for an “every day” strand of pearls that can stand up to hot days, children’s sticky fingers, perfume spritzing, an office meeting and more.

Choose Saltwater Pearls If:

  • Only that high-end, big size pearl necklace will do.
  • Your budget is high to get the Classic White Pearl Necklace you really want.
  • The pearls are meant to be worn in “nicer” settings i.e., weddings, dinner parties, office meetings, church, holidays, family get-togethers, etc.

The biggest difference between the Freshwater and Saltwater is Shape.

Cultured saltwater pearls are known for being perfectly round, baroque pearls are of course available.
Freshwater pearls have a much, much larger variety of shapes, the most common and distinctive of them being either potato shapes, or off-round / oval shapes. The higher-up in quality these pearls get, the rounder the pearl shapes will be.

  • AA+ & AAA Quality Saltwater Pearl Shape can be Perfect Round
but
  • AA+ Quality Freshwater Pearl Shape: Visibly Off-Round to Oval and Egg Shapes.
  • AAA Quality Freshwater Pearl Shape: Slightly Off-Round to Near Round Shapes.
  • AAAA Quality / Gem quality Freshwater Pearl Shape: Round to the Eye,  Less than 3% Variance from perfectly round.

The second biggest difference between the Freshwater and Saltwater is Price.

A lot of us are stunned when you first encounter the rather large difference in pricing between saltwater pearls and Freshwater pearls. It can range from 100euro to thousands of euros depending on the pearls in question.

There are a couple of reasons for the pricing disparity when it comes to Freshwater versus Saltwater pearl. These are:

  • Pearl Rarity: 

Freshwater pearl mussels are nucleated up to 25 times on each side of the shell. This means that each mussel has the potential to produce 50 pearls each at harvest time.

The saltwater oyster and can only be seeded with up to 2 nuclei at a time and optimally, with only a single bead nucleus to produce finer pearls.

This simple biological difference between the two mollusks creates a HUGE difference in yearly pearl harvest volume, making saltwater pearls the rarer of the two, thus more expensive.

  • Valued Pearl Attributes: 

The Saltwater pearl is known the world-over to be the Classic Pearl. These pearls will meet everyone’s expectations for fine Surface Quality, Pearl Shape, Luster and Pearl Matching.

The majority of customers agree that saltwater pearls have a more elegant presentation overall.

  • Pearl culture Techniques and Difficulty
This ties into the Rarity factor as well. The difficulty involved in nucleating saltwater pearls is very high. Basically, there’s a lot more blood, sweat and tears that go into the creation of even just a single saltwater pearl over their Freshwater cousins. The risk is high for everyone: oysters, farmers, processors and auctions. Higher risk = higher price.

With Freshwater pearls, the only nucleus needed is a 1.0mm square piece of donor mantle tissue, inserted into the soft body of the mussel, so it’s an easier process with a lot more insertions equaling. The man-made lakes and ponds used to culture the pearls are less subject to Ph balance disruptions, temperature fluctuations, algae blooms and pollution run off from the coast. It is a less risky proposition to produce Freshwater pearls, less risk = lower pricing.

 

 

Which Pearl Type Should You Buy?


We love all of them! Each of the pearl types has something to offer pearl lovers of all stripes.

Both White and Golden South Sea pearls feature gorgeous natural colors, the largest pearl sizes and the thickest nacre of all but can get expensive.

But let’s say you’re looking for a classic white pearl necklace with small budget, then Freshwater pearls would be definitely a good choice.

Also black Tahitian pearls are a fantastic choice for pearl enthusiasts who want pearls that are totally unique and naturally black in color.

Choosing the best pearls depends on a variety of factors like Luster, Price and Quality as well as personal factors such as perceived value and your own aesthetics.

Saltwater pearls are the higher-end, more elegant choice for pearl lovers. Freshwater pearls are more like a casual pearl choice, with lower price points, higher durability and more variation in shape.

I usually recommend Freshwater pearls for shoppers with a smaller budget but who still want that classic pearl look, high quality freshwater pearl will never disappoint you and not at all inferior to saltwater pearls, they are the best of best in freshwater pearls. If you want to know more information, feel free to contact us!