subject: What Are Nature's Own Pearl Colours? [print this page] What Are Nature's Own Pearl Colours? What Are Nature's Own Pearl Colours?
It can be very confusing today to see lots of different colors and types of pearls used in pearl jewellery and for the unwary it can be difficult to discriminate fact from fiction as the concept of color is often portrayed incorrectly. Up until comparatively recently, the most important pearls dominating the world market were saltwater pearls of which there are 3 main types, the South Sea, the Tahitian and the Akoya.
The South Sea pearl from the Pinctada maxima mollusc, in its natural state comes in a creamy white from the silver lipped mollusc variant, or various yellow to golden colors from the gold lipped variant.
The saltwater pearl which is famed for its dark exotic looks is the Tahitian from the Pinctada margaritifera mollusc, which comes from the farms of Polynesia, Indonesia and the Phillipines. This pearl shows natural colours which can range from silvery grey, dark greys and greens through to almost black shades.
The other important saltwater pearl is the Japonese akoya from the Pinctada fucata martensii mollusc which produces creamy white pearls with pale pinkish overtones and very pale blue. The akoya pearl is the type which is most commonly associated with the standard white pearl necklace.
Within the last few years, the Chinese started producing beautiful freshwater pearls from a newly introduced larger mollusc, Hyriopsis cumingii, which can produce up to 40 pearls in a growing period. These are not the same type of pearls as the old rice crispy freshwater pearls. This species of mollusc can naturally produce pearls which range from white, creamy white, peach, pink and a blue-pink. The colour is determined by the type of oyster or mollusc, and also where the inserted pieces of mantle which stimulate pearl production are placed in the mollusc. This exciting development means that you can now own natural coloured, pink peach and lavender pearls which are not treated.
Any other main body colour i.e. red, blue, brown etc. is dyed or irradiated. Unless it is an expensive Tahitian, black pearls are always treated. One of the most useful black treatments used for freshwater pearls is commonly called peacock as it shows iridescent shades of very dark blue, grey, wine, and greens etc and although it looks black from a distance, pure black would be a very dull color. Most white pearls are also bleached as a good white is hard to come by.
Another issue to consider in the colour of pearls is the overtone which is a type of translucent sheen which sometimes appear on top of the pearl's main body color giving a tint. A pearl may be white body colour with rose or green overtones. Another colour tone is termed the orient which can be seen by the practiced eye and can give a different iridescence to the main colour by the way that light is reflected.
But as things progress in the industry, today there are also some new exiting developments in pearl farming called exotics and metallics where the surface is super shiny with wonderful iridescent colours, and pondslime where the surface is more matt and dappled with shades of brown green and gold. Enjoy them all as today's choice of pearl jewelry is vast.
