Our cultured pearls are brought to you straight from the Orient and the actual pearl farms by our pearl buyer, who is a GIA jeweler. Speaking the native language, he is able to negotiate the very lowest prices for select pearls of the highest quality. Because he buys the entire crop, we offer AA, AA+, and AAA quality pearls of outstanding nacre and luster.

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Excerpts on pearl qualities from our pearl buyer and supplier........J. Shepherd

South Sea pearls are generally much larger than other pearl types and have a unique luster quality. These factors make South Seas both distinctive and valuable. All things being equal, South Sea pearls have a higher value and command higher prices than all other types of pearls. As with other saltwater oysters, the Pinctada maxima is bead-nucleated. However, the growth period is approximately 3-6 years, unlike the Akoya pearls, which develop in less than half that time. Being a delicate organism, this genus of oyster is particularly susceptible to disease and stress, which is one reason why the culturing area for South Seas pearls is quite limited. Attempts to expand farming facilities has met with little success because the oysters do not thrive outside their natural environment. Pinctada maxima oysters are collected in the ocean, relocated to a designated holding area nearby, and are carefully monitored while the pearls are developing.

Tahitian pearls are considered to be the second most valuable commercially farmed pearls in the world. These pearls are produced by the large Black-Lipped Oyster which is the only oyster to produce naturally black pearls. Unlike black freshwater and black Akoya pearls, which have been irradiated or dyed, Tahitians come by their dark color naturally. Tahitian pearls are bead-nucleated, but unlike Akoya pearls the nacre is typically very thick. The thinnest nacre allowed by French Polynesian law for export is .8mm, which is a depth that would be considered, in the Akoya world, extremely thick.

Akoya pearls are best known for their aesthetic qualities. Unlike their freshwater cousins, Akoya oysters rarely produce more than 2 pearls per harvest. The oysters are nucleated with a bead composed of mother-of-pearl and mantle tissue. This bead is the basis of the pearl and is the reason Akoya pearls are more often perfectly round. This shape combined with the high-luster found on top-quality Akoya pearls, like those available from PearlParadise.com, and their relative rarity compared to freshwater pearls give Akoya pearls both a higher perceived and actual value. Akoya pearls are valued many times more than freshwater pearls of comparable quality.

Freshwater pearls are best known for their whimsical shapes and wide variety of sizes and colors. The character of a freshwater pearl is found in its distinctive surface texture and the warmth of its luster. The nacre of a high-quality freshwater pearl does not typically have the glossy finish found in Akoya pearls, and they are evaluated on separate quality scales. A single freshwater mollusk is capable of producing up to 50 pearls at a time, although current production limits each shell to 24-32 pearls; while they are certainly prolific, these mass-produced pearls are rarely as their saltwater counterparts produced by Akoya oysters that nurture 1 or 2 precious pearls at a time. Freshwater pearls are typically tissue-nucleated, meaning they are composed entirely of nacre; the fragment of mantle tissue disintegrates as the mollusk coats it, resulting in a pearl made of solid nacre. Amongst the various types of pearls available, freshwater pearls are prized for their durability, their diversity and warmth, and above all, their affordability.