Freshwater pearl education

Everything we have written about freshwater pearls, in one place: how they grow, how we grade them, how to buy well and how to keep a strand for decades. Jump to the question you actually have.

What they are

A freshwater pearl is solid nacre, grown in a mussel.

A pearl forms when a mollusc coats an irritant in nacre, the same material as the inside of its shell, layer by layer over years. Saltwater pearls are started with a round bead and the nacre is a coating over it. Freshwater pearls are started with a tiny piece of tissue and no bead, so the pearl is nacre all the way through.

That difference is why freshwater pearls are the most durable pearls you can buy: there is no bead for the nacre to wear down to. It is also why they come in more shapes, and why true rounds are the rarest and most valuable freshwater pearls.

Almost all of them are grown in and around Zhuji, in Zhejiang province, China, in family-run farms on lakes and ponds. That is where ours come from.

Pearl types explained

What to look at, in order

Six decisions decide whether a strand is worth its price. The first two decide most of the price; the last four decide whether the strand is right for you.

01
Luster

How sharply the pearl reflects light. Look for a crisp reflection of the bulb, not a soft glow. The single biggest driver of beauty and price, and the one thing that cannot be improved after harvest.
02
Surface

How clean the skin is. A few small marks are normal and honest; deep pits or cracks are a reason to pass. Marks on the side that faces the neck are harmless.
03
Shape

Round is rarest and dearest. Near-round reads as round on the neck for less. Oval, drop and baroque are a different look, not a lesser one. Decide the look first, then pay for roundness only if roundness is the look.
04
Size

Measured in millimetres. 7 to 8 mm is the classic strand. Price climbs steeply above 8 mm because large rounds are scarce. Between bigger and better, choose better.
05
Color

Body color plus overtone. A matter of taste, not grade. The only thing to check is that it is natural; dyed pearls show color pooled in pits and around drill holes.
06
Matching

How evenly the pearls agree in all of the above. Look along the strand under one light: every pearl should reflect the same way, and sizes should step evenly.

Freshwater against the other pearl types

Four species produce almost every pearl sold. This is how they differ, and why we only sell one of them.

Criterion	Freshwater	Akoya	Tahitian	South Sea
Grown in	Freshwater mussels, lakes and ponds	Akoya oysters, sea	Black-lipped oysters, lagoons	Silver and gold-lipped oysters, sea
Where	Zhuji, China	Japan, China, Vietnam	French Polynesia	Australia, Philippines, Indonesia
Inside the pearl	Solid nacre, no bead	Bead nucleus, thin nacre coat	Bead nucleus, thicker coat	Bead nucleus, thickest coat
Durability	Highest	Lowest	High	High
Typical size	6 to 11 mm	6 to 9 mm	8 to 14 mm	9 to 16 mm
Natural colors	White, pink, peach, purple	White, cream, silver	Grey, black, green, aubergine	White, silver, gold
Luster	Soft to very high	Sharp, mirror-like	Metallic	Satin
Typical strand price	$140 to $310 with us	$500 to $2,000	$1,500 to $6,000	$3,000 to $15,000

Price ranges are for a matched 18 inch strand of good quality and are indicative only.

How we grade

Three scales, four steps each, printed on every product page.

There is no industry standard for freshwater pearls, so "AAA" means whatever a seller wants it to mean. We grade luster, surface and roundness separately on a four-step scale, because a strand can be exceptional on one and ordinary on another. Each step is defined below, and the score is printed on every product page.

Luster Exceptional GoodHighVery highExceptional

Surface Clean SpottedLightly spottedCleanFlawless

Roundness Round BaroqueOff-roundNear-roundRound

Every step, defined

What each score means in practice. A strand is scored on its weakest pearls, not its best.

Criterion	Step 1	Step 2	Step 3	Step 4
Luster	Good. Reflection visible but soft at the edges.	High. Clear reflection, slightly diffused edge.	Very high. Sharp reflection; you could nearly read by it.	Exceptional. Mirror-like; the pearl appears lit from inside.
Surface	Spotted. Marks visible at arm's length on several pearls.	Lightly spotted. A few marks visible at arm's length.	Clean. Marks found only on close inspection.	Flawless. No marks found under a loupe. Vanishingly rare.
Roundness	Baroque. Freeform or strongly off-round.	Off-round. Visibly oval or button shaped.	Near-round. Reads as round on the neck; slight variation in hand.	Round. Spherical to the eye and the caliper.

The first column is highlighted only because it is where the scale starts; it is not the preferred grade.

Gem Grade and High Grade

Two grades, no third.

Gem Grade

Exceptional luster, a Clean or Flawless surface and a Round shape. The top of each harvest; fewer than 1 in 1,000 harvested pearls qualifies.
High Grade

Very high luster or better, a Clean surface or better and a Near-round shape or better. Fewer than 1 in 100 harvested pearls qualifies; honest everyday pearls from the same farms, priced for what they are.
Not sold

A strand with Good luster, a Spotted surface or an Off-round shape does not carry our name. It goes back to the farmer and into the general market.
Printed on the page

Every product page shows its three scores and its grade. If the scores are not there, we have not graded it, and we do not sell it.

Why the price is what it is

Four or five hands between the farm and a shop counter. Each adds a margin. None adds a pearl.

A freshwater strand usually passes from the farm to an exporter, an importer, a wholesaler and a retailer before it reaches a shopper, and every one of them marks it up to cover a warehouse, a sales team and a store. By the time a strand reaches a jewelry counter, the price has little to do with what it cost to grow.

We buy finished strands at the farm in Zhuji, grade them ourselves and ship them to you. That is the whole explanation for the gap between our price and the estimated retail figure shown beside it. Same pearls, same knotting, same clasp. Fewer hands.

Quality and pricing in full

Pearl sizes

Freshwater pearls are measured across their widest point in millimetres. Half a millimetre is visible on a strand; a whole millimetre changes its character.

US dime 17.9 mm, for scale
4 mm Petite, for studs and children
5 mm Delicate, for fine layering
6 mm Dainty, for layering
7 mm Fine everyday
8 mm The classic strand size
9 mm Noticeable presence
10 mm Statement
11 mm Rare at this grade

Pearls and dime are drawn to the same scale as each other, not to life size.

Necklace lengths

Every necklace comes in four lengths.

16 inch, choker

Sits at the base of the neck. Best with open necklines and the length most often worn with a high collar.
18 inch, princess

Rests on the collarbone. The most versatile length and the one to choose if you are choosing once.
20 inch, matinee

Falls just below the collarbone. Suits crew necks and layering over knitwear.
24 inch, opera

Reaches the top of the chest. Wears long, or doubled as a short two-row strand.

Care, in three rules

Pearls are organic, and softer than any other gem you own. Treated well, a freshwater strand lasts a lifetime.

01
Last on, first off

Put pearls on after perfume, hairspray and lotion, and take them off before showering, swimming or sleeping.
02
Wipe after wearing

A soft, dry cloth after each wear removes skin oils before they dull the nacre. Never use jewelry cleaner or ultrasonic machines.
03
Store flat, with air

In the pouch they came in, away from harder jewelry and out of direct sun. Not sealed in plastic; nacre needs a little humidity.

Questions to ask any seller

Including us. If a seller cannot answer these plainly, buy elsewhere.

What does your grade mean?

There is no industry standard. Ask for the scale in writing. Ours is above, and printed on every product page.
Is the color natural?

Dyeing and bleaching are common and legal, but must be disclosed. Every color we sell is natural and untreated.
Is this the strand I will receive?

Ask whether the photograph is of the real product or a render. Ours are unretouched photographs of the piece itself.
What is it strung on?

A knot between every pearl is the standard for a strand meant to last. Ours are knotted on PE fiber, which looks identical to silk but can last for decades instead of needing restringing every few years.
What is the return window?

A seller confident in a strand will take it back. We give you 60 days and pay the return postage.

Common questions

Are freshwater pearls real pearls?

Yes. They are cultured pearls grown in freshwater mussels, nacre all the way through. The only pearls that are not real are imitations made of glass, shell or plastic.

Why are freshwater pearls cheaper than Akoya?

A mussel can grow many pearls at once and lives in a pond rather than the sea, so farming costs are lower and supply is larger. The pearls themselves are solid nacre and more durable; the price difference is about rarity and farming cost, not about which lasts longer.

How can I tell a real pearl from a fake?

Rub it gently against the edge of a front tooth: real nacre feels faintly gritty, imitation feels glassy smooth. Real pearls also vary slightly from one to the next and feel cool to the touch at first.

Do freshwater pearls lose their shine?

Not if they are cared for. Nacre dulls when it is coated in oils, perfume or chlorine over time. Wiped after wearing and kept away from chemicals, a good strand keeps its luster for decades.

What size pearl should I buy?

For a first strand, 7 to 8 mm is the classic choice: enough presence to read as pearls across a room, fine enough to wear every day. Go up a size for a statement, down for layering.

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