Freshwater Pearl Jewelry

So What Are Freshwater Pearls?

Freshwater pearls come from mussels that are farmed in ponds, lakes and rivers.

A freshwater pearl starts as a small 'seed' placed in the shell of a triangle shell mollusk. (Hyriopsis cumingii)

The mollusk reacts to the small piece of shell or 'seed pearl' by building layers of a protective coating. This coating consists of aragonite, calcite and a horn-like substance called conchiolin.

Pearls come naturally in a variety of pastel colors, depending on the exact type of mollusk and composition of water.

Although produced in other areas, the largest producer of freshwater pearls is China.

Pearls are hand selected from several cultured pearl farms which offer smooth, high-luster pearls. The pink and white colors are natural, the peacock and bronze colors are heat-treated to create the color-fast (not dyed) dark rainbow effect.

White pearls are golden-white to nearly white in color. We avoid chaulky, stark-white pearls, as these have usually been bleached, which can harm the luster.

The pinks are a pale peach-pink to pale lavender-pink. Peacock colors have a silver-grey base and display a subtle iridescent color change. Colors range from bronze to lavender to green-blue. Bronze pearls are a warm brown and look somewhat metallic.