Let me share a secret with you.
Freshwater pearls are now equal to akoyas.
Far fetched? Not at all.
But let me go back to the beginning to continue the story.
Rice Krispies? I know, you're probably skeptical.
Right? Let me explain what I mean.
Oddly enough up until a short while ago freshwater pearls looked like Rice Krispies, elongated and wrinkled. Reality is they looked so much like Rice Krispies that they were known by that name.
It all comes down to this, the type of mollusk and the technique of growing their pearls were the reason for the Rice Krispie look.
Bet you can guess what happened next. Experimentation, a lot of trial and error and they were able to produce pearls that were rounder and cleaner with each harvest. The bottom line is the higher grades of freshwater pearl jewelry are as good as akoya pearls. And whats more they are better in some ways.
Far fetched? Not at all. For starters these mussels are the same mollusks that produced pearls that would become part of the Crown Jewels of England.
Here is the reason why I say better in some ways. While the akoya oyster is seeded with a bead made from a mussel shell. Freshwater pearls are seeded with a small piece of soft tissue from the mussel. So what does this mean? Let me explain.The freshwater pearl is solid
nacre (the pearly stuff makes a pearl).
Think about what this means: the nacre can’t wear off as it does with cheaper akoyas.
Typically - Fresh Water Cultured Pearl Jewelry colors range from black, apricot, peach, lavender, to white, blue, and green.
SunshinePearls uses the same quality of design, workmanship, and settings as we do in our more expensive pearls. Our freshwater pearl necklaces are knotted and strung with the same high quality silk, and we use the same solid 14k solid gold clasps and settings on these pieces as we do on our Akoyas and Tahitians. |
