Saltwater Pearl
Pearl
Akoya, Sea of Cortez, South Sea, and Tahitian Pearls are all cultured from saltwater oysters and are the most notable varieties of saltwater pearls. These pearls are harvested from saltwater marine environments and are more valuable than the freshwater pearl varieties.
General Information
LWUV: Variable
Saltwater Pearl Colors
-
Multi-color -
White -
Blue -
Black -
Yellow -
Gray
Alternate Names
South Sea Pearl, Tahitian Pearl, Akoya Pearl, Sea of Cortez Pearl, Seed Pearl, Abalone Pearl
Countries of Origin
Myanmar; Viet Nam; Korea (the Republic of); Unknown; China; Japan; Italy; Mexico; Philippines (the); Australia; French Polynesia; Indonesia
Care
Avoid cosmetics, perfumes, hairsprays, heat and household chemicals.
Species/Variety
Abalone Pearl
There are 96 known varieties of abalone that will produce natural pearls. The chances of finding a high-quality abalone pearl are 1 in 10 million. Pearls can be rounded or free form, but tooth shape is the most commonly found form. The pearls can come in white, cream, black, gray, blue, purple, pink, yellow, and gold and have been reported to reach 500cts. Pearls typically have blemishes and can be hollow. California is the largest producer of abalone pearls. The Californian abalone varieties are the California Red or Californian Abalone (Haliotis rufescens) which is the largest variety of abalone shell from California, and it produces the largest and most beautiful pearls. Other varieties are the Black Abalone (Haliotis cracerodii) which is the smallest, the Pink Abalone (Haliotis corrugata) which is the most abundant, White Abalone (Haliotis assimilis), and the Green Abalone (Haliotis fulgens) which are very color