To understand Freshwater pearls and how to buy them, you first have to understand the types of pearls. There are three main types of pearls with several sub-types.

#1 The Natural Pearl.

        The Natural Pearl has a long history as a gemstone, first found in the middle east and surrounding eras, this gem has been known for it's beauty and value since Biblical times. All Pearls are formed in a mollusk The Characteristics of a natural pearl are that it is not nucleated (started) by man,  it has generally been misunderstood that these pearls start out as a piece of sand and then layers of nacre (Calcium Carbonate in the form of Aragonite, bonded by Conchiolin, a type of protein), until a rounded shape is formed with a dull to metallic sheen and light color. Natural Pearls can form in saltwater or freshwater mollusks

        The fact of the matter is that generally natural pearls are formed by a small parasite boring it's way into the shell, and then the successive formation of nacre follows. These pearls are generally small, (2-5mm) but can be much larger dependant on the type of mollusk it is growing in, the location of the pearl in the mollusk, the age of the mollusk,  water temperature, the mollusk's health, and location. Natural Pearls are rare and expensive, they often look much like a freshwater pearl. Ask for certification before purchasing a genuine pearl online, as pictures alone will not be able to identify them as natural. Certification from G.I.A and A.G.T.A are generally recognized as the final word on authenticity.

#2 The Cultured Pearl.

        For this section, we will understand the term "Cultured Pearl" to mean a pearl that has been nucleated with a round bead, usually made of shell.

        Cultured pearls were perfected by Mikimoto in Japan, where they take a round bead and insert it into the gonad of an oyster. Years pass and then the pearl is harvested, graded and usually drilled. Sometimes they are bleached to a whiter color if that color is most popular at the time. These pearls are generally expensive in good quality, the characteristics of a Cultured Pearl are that they are generally very round in shape. All pearls contain Nacre, Cultured Pearls contain the least nacre out of all three catagories, as it is generally a very thin coating of Nacre (.01-3mm) Cultured Pearls can look very different from others depending on the type of mollusk, and generally classified by the region that they are farmed in.

Japan (Akoya)

No larger than 11MM, round, generally light, and less expensive than their larger counterparts.

South Sea

These pearls are larger generally 10+MM with a golden or white nacre, These are generally expensive.

Tahitian (Black)

These pearls are generally grey to black and not as uniform in shape as their other counterparts, although it is possible to get a perfectly round pearl, these are also expensive.

#3 Freshwater (cultured) Pearls

      The most common type of pearl is also the least expensive. Whereas other types of pearls are found in Oysters in the ocean, these pearls are found in Mussels in smaller lakes and rivers, the major difference between "cultured pearls" is that they are not bead nucleated, they are composed of 95%+ Nacre, they therefore will last much longer than cultured pearls when worn, as all pearls will eventually degrade as they come in contact with makeup or perfume.

        In recent years (1995-2006) there have been great advances in freshwater pearl shapes, they started out looking more like rice crisps than a gemstone. This shaky start gave as a gemstone, they were first made in China and now every pond and lake that will support them in China, now do so. Nowadays there are all shapes and sizes of freshwater pearls. Everything from small round to large baroque crosses.

        Freshwater pearls are nucleated with a small piece of tissue folded or cut to the general shape of the eventual pearl. Because these Pearls are mostly Nacre, the nucleation tissue must be very exact so that the shape comes out right.

       Some freshwater pearls are so inexpensive to purchase from the pearl farms that they are often mixed with costume jewelry if they are of lower quality.

       What you want with a pearl is a perfectly rounded shape and nacre that is almost metallic, showing a reflection in it's luster. The closer you are to this ideal, the better the quality, and the more expensive the pearl.

Freshwater pearls can be as inexpensive as $1.00 per strand (16")

      Some things to be aware of in the pearl catagories, shipping and handling generally include the seller's profits in China and similar locales, you may 20 strands of unnaturally colored pearls for a dollar with $300 shipping.

      When deciding about purchasing pearls, include the shipping and handling into your idea of the total cost. That way you will have a good idea of how much you should pay per pearl or pearl strand.

       Most freshwater pearls are bleached and dyed. Always assume that the pearls you see are bleached and dyed, unless the seller can assure you that he knows personally that they are not bleached or dyed (most freshwater pearl sellers purchase from wholesalers based out of Shanghai or Hong Kong, China. These wholesalers care much more about the appearance of the pearls than what have been done to them to get them to look that way.

       There are some types of freshwater pearls which are more expensive because of their shape, these are shapes which resemble other things (logs, vegetables, animals, faces, body parts, ect.) some are crosses, some are known as Biwa or Keshi shape, and are priced according to how unusual and beautiful each pearl is.

       Almost all pearls are drilled, this makes for easier necklace making and also makes the pearls better accept dye and bleach. Undrilled pearls are generally more expensive because they usually display an interesting or unusual coloring or shape to allow them to be saved out of the large batches that are dyed as part of the manufacture process, before they get to the pearl wholesalers.

       Now that pearl prices are dropping as supply exceeds demand, there are more uses for freshwater pearls that are coming into play. These uses include crafts, clothing, display backgrounds, fish bowl gravel, pulverization into calcium pills, and many more.

      You can expect to get a decent strand of round freshwater pearls for less than $30 shipped  Crosses and Biwa shape pearls can be found for $5-20 apiece.

-James Van Daele, Graduate Gemologist, Gemological Institute of America