Cultured pearls are pearls which are created by a pearl farmer. If you are looking for cultured pearl jewelry, which is much cheaper then natural pearl jewelry, you can find them at most jewelers, or even professionally appraised strands or earrings at your local Costco's jewelry department.
Akoya pearls are a type of pearl. It is a cultured pearl that is harvested for about one year. On the other hand, Tahitian pearls are cultured for two to four years and South Sea freshwater pearls for two to seven years. Look here for more information: http://www.pearlnecklacesource.com/categories/Cultured-Akoya-Pearls/Akoya is the trade name for "cultured" pearls. It means the pearl was seeded or induced to grow my either a bead or a piece of shell introduced into the oyster by man. So, short answer: cultured pearls with a prettier name than cultured pearls. Good specimen only distinguishable from natural pearls using X-rays.
Akoya pearls are a type of pearl. It is a cultured pearl that is harvested for about one year. On the other hand, Tahitian pearls are cultured for two to four years and South Sea freshwater pearls for two to seven years. Look here for more information: http://www.pearlnecklacesource.com/categories/Cultured-Akoya-Pearls/Akoya is the trade name for "cultured" pearls. It means the pearl was seeded or induced to grow my either a bead or a piece of shell introduced into the oyster by man. So, short answer: cultured pearls with a prettier name than cultured pearls. Good specimen only distinguishable from natural pearls using X-rays.
Answer Cultured pearls are pearls grown in pearl-producing mollusks with the aid of human intervention. Cultured pearls are genuine pearls as they do not differ from their natural pearl counterparts. In fact, cultured pearls account for nearly 100% of the pearls used in fine jewelry today. There are two main varieties of cultured pearls: saltwater cultured pearls and freshwater cultured pearls. Saltwater Cultured PearlsSaltwater cultured pearls are any pearls cultured in a saline environment and include akoya, Tahitian, South Sea, Cook Island pearls and Sea of Cortez pearls.These pearls are produced by introducing a rounded bead of freshwater mussel shell along with a small piece of donor mantle tissue into the gonad of a host mollusk. The mantle tissue forms a sac around the nucleus, deposits nacre and forms a pearl. Freshwater Cultured PearlsFreshwater cultured pearls are any pearls grown in a non-saline environment in freshwater mussels. They are produced by creating small incisions to the mantle organ of a host mussel. The mantle is attached to either valve of the mussel, and both sides may be grafted up to 16 times; producing up to 32 pearls.
Almost all freshwater pearls in the world wide market today are fresh water culture pearls from China. They are generally less expensive than similar sized Cultured pearls that are grown in Saltwater, but not always. There are effectively no natural pearls on the market, and there have not been many on the world wide market for at least the last 100 years.
Cultured pearls are pearls created by a pearl farmer under controlled conditions.
The Oklahoma Jewelers Association would recommend that the best place to shop for cultured pearls would be at the Pearl Oasis. The Pearl Oasis offers the best cultured pearls available in different sizes.
There are five different types of pearls, including natural pearls, cultured pearls, saltwater pearls, freshwater pearls, and imitation pearls.
So, the main difference between natural and cultured pearls is the way the secretion process begins. With natural pearls, the process takes place in the ocean, without any human intervention. On the other side, cultured pearls require the assistance of pearl farmers to begin the nacre-forming process.
Answer There are many types of pearls, both natural and cultured, but all pearls may be separated into two distinct groups. Saltwater PearlsSaltwater pearls, whether cultured or natural, are pearls which grow in marine mollusks in a saline environment such as the ocean. Freshwater PearlsFreshwater pears, whether cultured or natural, are pearls which grown in freshwater mussels in non-saline environments such as rivers, lakes and streams.
This is a common question and often consumers are misguided because Freshwater pearls are cultured pearls. Pearls either fall in the natural category or the cultured category. 99% of pearls today are cultured, meaning the mollusk natural pearl making process has been guided along by man. Cultured pearls consist of Freshwater, Akoya, Tahitian, and South Sea pearls among others. When shopping in a jewelry store or any retail environment (with the exception of estate jewelers), the pearls are going to be cultured.
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Natural pearls are found in the wild, and therefore more rare, cultured are grown in a far, both look almost exactly the same.