Thanks to the culturing of pearls, there are a swath of pearls available to us, at not too high a cost. These various pearl types are dependent upon the type of mollusk that forms them, as well as the environment in which they develop, and their location. Different pearl types vary in luster, colors, and even sizes, however each one has its own beauty, its own style, and its own wonder.

The following are the types of pearl that you’re most likely to see in today’s pearl marketplace.

• Akoya Pearls – these are the type of pearl that are produced by the Japanese Akoya oyster. Akoya pearls vary in size between 2 and 10mm, depending on the size of the oyster in which it is formed. These pearls range in color from white, to cream, green, silver, pink, and gold. Akoya pearls are most recognized for their high luster, and their richness of color.
  
  
• South Sea Cultured Pearls – these fascinating pearls are known to be quite large, most reaching diameters of over 10mm. These sizes are available because they are formed by oysters called Pinctada Maxima, which are quite big, and live in the warmer waters of the South Seas, as well as off the coast of Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. South Sea pearls have unique colors which depend on the specific type of oyster in which they’re grown. All south sea pearls come from silver-lipped pearl oysters, except for the golden pearls which come from the golden-lipped pearl oysters. The warm, natural golden color of the gold colored pearls are said to be even rarer than gold itself.
  
  
• Black South Sea Cultured Pearls – Similar to their white and gold cousins, black South Sea pearls come from the black-lipped pearl oysters of Pinctada Maxima. These pearls which are naturally black in color, come from the Tahitian and Okinawa regions. They are typically between 8 and 15mm in diameter. Their colors range from blues, greens, violets, and combinations of these colors, as well as the most popular and desired peacock green. These pearls are a challenge to farm, and are therefore quite costly. In fact, to collect enough pearls that match in size, shape, and color for one strand necklace, it could easily take a dozen years of harvesting.
  
  
• Freshwater Cultured Pearls – these pearls are almost exclusively cultured in the Chinese lakes and rivers, in Hyriopsis Cumingi mollusks. In each host, ten to fourteen pearls can be cultured at one time. These pearls typically come oval-shaped, or in rice grain shapes.
  
  
• Conch Pearls – These unique pearls are harvested from the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, from the Queen Conch. Examples of the highest quality conch pearls are characterized by their entirely distinctive “flame structure,” which gives the conch pearl the appearance of a small flame burning on its surface.