They are a byproduct of the culturing process and hence do not happen without human intervention.
Types of pearls.
A cultured pearl is formed through the human introduction of an irritant.
Saltwater pearls include the akoya cultured pearls grown in japanese and chinese.
A natural pearl is formed accidentally without any human intervention.
The first main distinction is a natural and a cultured pearl.
In natural pearls the irritant generally comes from the water its surrounded by while in cultured pearls a piece of tissue is inserted by people.
This is due to their remarkable range of sizes shapes and colors plus their commercial availability at lower price points.
Due to their availability and affordable prices they are among the most popular of all pearl types for both designers and consumers alike.
Freshwater pearls come in an almost unlimited verity of shapes from symmetrical round to baroque and everything in between.
How many different types of pearls are there.
Natural pearls are very rare and therefore very expensive.
Keshi pearls although they often occur by chance are not considered natural.
Pearls can be found in saltwater and in freshwater.
Over 10 000 pearls may be sorted before a 16 single strand of beautifully matched pearls is assembled.
Pearls are formed when irritants like sand for instance finds its way into the shell of a mollusc.
Freshwater cultured pearls are the most commonly produced pearls and they are one of the most popular pearl types among shoppers and jewelry designers.
A blister pearl a half sphere formed flush against the shell of the pearl oyster.
Types of cultured pearls.
In reaction the mollusc begins to produce layers of nacre around the irritant.