What is the difference between a fresh water and a salt water pearl?
Besides the price and method of collection, not too much any more. In fact unless you are a jeweler, in most cases a person will not be able to tell even the difference differece! Freshwater pearls are cultured in pearl farms, mostly in China now. Natural freshwater pearls occur in mussels for the same reason saltwater pearls occur in oysters. Foreign material inside a mussel can’t be expelled. To reduce irritation, the mollusk coats the intruder with the same secretion it uses for shell-building, nacre. To cultivate a pearl, farmers slit the mussel and insert small pieces of live tissue from another mussel. Being an organic gem, grooves, pits, or dents are expected in freshwater and saltwater pearls. Freshwater pearls are popular for their colors: white, silvery-white, pink, red, copper, brown, lavender, purple, green, blue, and yellow. The most desirable are the pastel pinks, roses, lavenders, and purples. Color comes from the mussel species and water quality. Generally pearls assume
