What are South Sea Pearls?
South Sea Pearls are produced by Pinctada Maxima oyster. They are cultivated in Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar.
There are two main colors of South Sea Pearls: Golden South Sea Pearls are cultivated in the Philippines and Indonesia. White South Sea Pearls are cultivated in Australia, although there are some small farms in the Philippines.
South Sea Pearls are the largest pearls in the world, their average size ranges from 9 to 20 mm, although pearls larger than 17 mm are extremely difficult to find and not on the market.
South Sea Pearls are lustrous and beautiful. Features that influence the price of South Sea Pearls are: Size, Shape, Color, Luster, Surface, Nacre and if they are well matched.
If you want to learn more about the price of South Sea Pearls, read this article.
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.
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.
Tahitian Pearls are produced by Pinctada Margaritifera Oyster, also known as Black-lip oyster. Their size ranges from 8 to 16 mm, and they are considered the second most valuable kind of pearl, only after South Sea Pearls.
Tahitian Pearls are mainly cultivated on Tahiti, French Polynesia. They come on a wide range of dark colors and overtones, being these more diverse in Mangareva Tahitian Pearls.
They are the largest export from French Polynesia, making up over 50% of its annual exports.
Contrary to popular belief, Tahitian Pearl are not Black. They have lots of overtones like blue, green, purple, brown and so on, but they will never be a true black.
Pearls, like any other good, are governed by the basic laws of economics: supply and demand. Pinctada Maxima Oyster, the Oyster that produces South Sea Pearls, produces 1 pearl per oyster every 1.5-2 years, whereas Hyriopsis cuming, the oyster that produces freshwater pearls, has an estimated production of 40 pearls per harvest.
Average annual production of Akoya and Freshwater Pearls accounts for 23 T in Japan, 18.6 T in China.
South Sea Pearl production is much lower, being 4% of world annual global pearl production.
Pinctada Maxima is the Oyster that produces precious South Sea Pearls.
It produces the largest and finest pearls, known as South Sea Pearls.
These Oysters are found in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines and Vietnam.
The size of the pearls that Pinctada Maxima Oyster produces ranges from 8 to 20mm.
South Sea Pearl Necklaces
We offer a wide variety of South Sea Pearl Necklaces, with clasps manufactured in 18 Karat gold.
Our Golden & White South Sea Pearls come directly from our farms in Australia and Indonesia. We can offer better prices than our competitors because of our lean structure and selling directly on the Internet, skipping the middleman and expensive brick-and-mortar store costs.
South Sea Pearl Pendants