All Cultured pearls can be broken down into two major categories - Freshwater cultured pearls and Saltwater cultured pearls. Within these two groupings there is an almost endless variety of shapes, sizes and colors.
Freshwater cultured pearls as the name suggests are grown in lakes and rivers and generally inexpensive compared to their saltwater counter parts. Although cheaper then most saltwater pearls they are fast growing in popularity because of the wide range of colors and sizes that are available on the market today.
Freshwater pearl cultivation is dominated by the Chinese. To produce freshwater pearls, a small piece of mantle tissue from one mussel is placed into a second mussel. The quantity of freshwater pearls produced far exceeds that of saltwater pearls, and freshwater pearls are also significantly cheaper. Although many freshwater pearls are irregular oblong “rice pearls,” near-round pearls are also produced.
Although the traditional source of pearls has been oysters which live in saltwater, mollusks which live in freshwater lakes and rivers can also produce pearls. China has harvested freshwater pearls for many centuries. The United States was also a major source of freshwater pearls from the discovery of the New World up through the 19th century, when over-harvesting and increasing pollution significantly reduced the number of available pearl-forming mussels.
Freshwater pearls are often somewhat less lustrous than their saltwater counterparts. However they are less expensive, and are available in a wide variety of colors, making them quite popular. Freshwater pearls are also quite durable, resisting chipping, wear, and degeneration.
