You must surely have heard of natural pearls. You should be aware that natural pearls are extremely expensive. In November 2018, a teardrop-shaped natural pearl and diamond pendant from the collection of Queen Mary Antoinette of France was auctioned at Sotheby's in Geneva, with the final price reaching 36,427,000 Swiss francs. However, some pearls are rather inexpensive. The seller explains that these pearls are cheap because they are cultured.
So, What are the differences in value and appearance between cultured pearls and natural pearls?
To understand this, it’s helpful to know how pearls are formed. Both natural and cultured pearls come from pearl-bearing oysters in either freshwater or saltwater. When a tiny irritant, like a grain of sand or a parasite, enters the oyster, the oyster protects itself by releasing nacre, a smooth substance that coats the irritant. Over time, this creates a natural pearl. While many oysters can produce pearls, it’s rare to find one that is large, lustrous, and well-shaped. Even rarer is finding pearls that are perfectly matched in color, lustre, shape, size, and surface quality.
Cultured pearls, however, are formed with human intervention. Pearl farmers place a bead or small piece of tissue into the oyster to stimulate pearl formation.
Because of this, natural pearls are much rarer and often far more expensive than cultured pearls. Many natural pearls are found in museums, like those in the Crown Jewels. A natural pearl of similar size and quality to a cultured one can be up to a hundred times more costly due to its scarcity. It’s important to note that nearly all pearl jewelry on the market today, whether freshwater, Akoya, Tahitian, or South Sea, is made from cultured pearls.
Another key difference between natural and cultured pearls is the thickness of the nacre. Natural pearls typically have thicker layers of nacre. As a general rule, pearls (whether cultured or natural) with thicker nacre tend to last longer than those with thinner nacre. For saltwater pearls like Akoya, South Sea, and Tahitian, you can even do a simple blinking test to check nacre thickness.
So, should you choose cultured or natural pearls? It really depends on your budget and the quality you’re after. Most pearl jewelry available in stores today is made from cultured pearls, as fine quality natural pearls are extremely rare and are usually found in museums rather than being commercially sold. Ultimately, a pearl’s worth is determined by seven value factors established by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). You can learn more about how to assess pearl quality to make an informed decision.
Image reference:
1. https://sothebys.com/en/articles/marie-antoinettes-pearls-break-auction-records-in-geneva
2. https://mus.cug.edu.cn/info/1015/2522.htm