The South Sea Pearl

South Sea Pearls are a type of pearl produced by the Pinctada Maxima oyster in Australia, Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia. They are characterized because they are the scarcest type of pearl, the largest in size (from 9mm to 20 mm in exceptional cases) and for their nacre thickness (from 2 to 6mm).
While freshwater pearls take 6 months to be cultivated, South Sea Pearls take more than 3 years.

The main colors are Gold and White, with a multitude of overtones. Perfectly round shapes are the rarest, less than 4% of the production in a common pearl farm.
South Sea Pearls shapes can be round, oval, button, drop, circle and baroque, and their luster is luxurious.

White South Sea Pearls are also produced by Pinctada Maxima Oyster, specifically by Silver-lipped South Sea Pearl.

Although they are mainly cultivated in Australia, there are also some farms in the Philippines.They are highly appreciated in the American and European markets.

White South Sea Pearls also have different shapes, such as baroque, tear drop or semi-round, being the most appreciated the round ones.

There are several colors or overtones of white pearls, such as silver or cream, but undoubtedly the most valued is the one known as Paper White.

Golden South Sea Pearls are produced by gold-lip Pinctada Maxima Oyster,The color of the golden pearls should be golden, not yellow.

Size of golden pearls ranges from 8 to 20 mm.Golden South Sea pearls are produced in the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar.

They have several overtones, being the most valued in the market the deep golden one.

There is a big variety of Golden South Sea Pearls shapes, like round, drop, baroque or tear shape.

Perfectly round pearls, with a deep golden color and high luster are scarce, being less than 1% of the annual production of a pearl farm.

The nacre of Golden South Sea Pearls is very thick.The task of a jeweler willing to create necklaces with golden pearls must be to find golden pearls that match in size, color, shape, and luster.

For this reason, golden pearl necklaces have traditionally been a luxury available to very few.

Tahitian pearls are pearls from the Pinctada Margaritifera oyster, also known as a black-lipped oyster. Tahitian pearls are mainly produced in French Polynesia. Tahitian pearls are characterized by their black color, although they can present a multitude of overtones such as green, brown, blue, and so on. They are the main export of French Polynesia and must fulfill strict quality requirements before being exported.