What shapes do freshwater pearls come in?
Thanks to some new nucleating techniques, freshwater pearls can be found in a nearly endless variety of shapes, but the more traditional shapes include: • Round – Perfectly spherical, or very nearly so. These are primarily saltwater pearls, although the Chinese have recently succeeded in creating round freshwater pearls. • Stick – Long and thin with many irregularities. • Rice – Small ovals drilled lengthwise. • Potato – Often lumpy, these are typically rounder than rice pearls and may be drilled either lengthwise or widthwise. • Nugget – Usually a little more square or pebble shaped than rice or potato pearls and almost always having a flat side. • Coin – Large, circular and flat, often about the size of a dime, with the hole drilled end-to-end. Coin pearls, unlike most freshwater pearls, are created using a bead nucleus. Newer coin shapes include hearts, squares, ovals and large pears and drops. • Keishi – Sometimes called “cornflake” pearls, these are flat and highly irregular. Keis
