Pearl types explained — freshwater, saltwater and shell

Pearls are the only gem produced by a living animal and the only one that
needs no cutting or polishing. Understand three types and you can shop the
whole market.

Freshwater — the workhorse

Grown in mussels, mostly in China; one mussel yields many pearls. Mostly
nacre (solid), which makes them durable and surprisingly affordable. Shapes
range from baroque to near-round; modern quality is far better than their
reputation.

Saltwater — the classic

Akoya (the classic white round strand), South Sea (large, satin lustre,
white/gold) and Tahitian (naturally dark colours). Bead-nucleated: a shell
bead inside, nacre coating outside. Priced per quality of lustre, surface,
shape, size and colour.

Shell pearls — the honest imposter

A shell bead coated in pearl essence. Consistent and cheap; a legitimate
fashion material when SOLD AS SUCH — misrepresentation is where the trouble
starts.

Judging quality: lustre first

Lustre (the sharpness of light reflections) matters more than size. Then
surface cleanliness, then shape, then size, then colour. The
school's pearl webinars cover grading visually — free.

Care

Last on, first off (perfume kills nacre), wipe after wear, store soft and
flat. Knotted strands get re-strung periodically — see the
[knotting guide](https://beadjewellery.info/pearl-knotting-guideU inline).

What students say

“I enjoyed glass fusing because I wanted to learn about glass fusing and the class conducted provide enough information to play around with glass fusing.”

— Melani A. (Indonesia) · published student feedback

“If you want to understand about jewellery, come to JDMIS.”

— Darvina P. (Singapore) · published student feedback

Free ways to explore

No sign-up, no payment — start with any of these.

TTake the 2-minute course finderFREE
Answer a few questions, get personal course recommendations.TThe complete course guideFREE
Every course, family and diploma in one PDF.FFree gem webinar replaysFREE
Full recorded sessions on gems and the jewellery trade.PPlay Name That GemFREE
The school's free gem-identification game.

Keep exploring

Metal clay for beginners — silver in a putty's clothingWhat silver metal clay is, how it works, firing basics and where it sits next to sheet-met7 jewellery crafts compared — cost, space, learning curveSeven jewellery crafts compared for beginners — beads, wire, silver, metal clay, enamel, wGemmology for makers — know what you setWhy jewellery makers should learn basic gemmology — hardness, treatments, imitations and tLearn Jewellery Making — a beginner's road from first bead to silverHow to start jewellery making as a complete beginner — the three craft families, real clas

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