Where to Buy Pearls Online – Top 8 Vendors Revealed | Pearl Wise (2024)

FAQs

What company sells the best pearls? ›

Mikimoto is one of the finest producers of Akoya pearls in the world and is widely recognized as the most prestigious pearl retailer in the industry. While Mikimoto's reputation for providing its clients with top-quality pearls is irrefutable, they also charge a considerable premium for their Mikimoto brand.

White South Sea and Golden South Sea pearls are the most sought-after cultured versions of the gems in the world. That's because they are the rarest, and offer the most luster and greatest pearls sizes. Both Golden South Sea and White South Sea pearls are cultivated in saltwater.

Japan is the acknowledged leader in Akoya pearl production – known to produce the best, most consistently beautiful Akoya pearls in the world. SIZES: Akoya pearls range in size from 2.0-3.0mm up through 9.0-9.5mm, and very rarely, 9.5-10.0mm.

Beware of scams and always go with a reputable seller that has many reviews vouching for their reputation and products. Below, we've compiled a shopping guide checklist featuring tips on selecting a reputable online pearl jewelry retailer: They've been in business for a long time. They come with a solid return policy.

The most classic and widely preferred pearl color is white. The white pearl is considered a symbol of purity, and is often associated with wedding and graduation celebrations.

Together, Tiffany, Mikimoto, and Pure Pearls make up 3 of the best pearl brands when it comes to buying luxury necklaces and other pearl jewelry.

While the white pearls are also priced by jewelers, the gold pearl variety is the most coveted color. The gold South sea pearl's color can range from creamy white to deep gold, and the darker the color, the more expensive it becomes.

The AAA-A System

This grading system ranks pearls from AAA to A, with AAA being the highest. A: Lower luster and defects on more than 25 percent of the surface.

Saltwater pearls have a more brilliant shine and luster than freshwater pearls and are more expensive. Pearl facts: After implanting the seed pearl, oysters are tended to by divers as they grow. The color of the pearl depends mainly on the color of the oyster shell itself.

Fake Vs. Real Pearls (Easy 5 sec. Test) - YouTube

What is better freshwater pearls or cultured pearls? ›

The fact of the matter is this: almost all pearls sold today are cultured pearls, including freshwater pearls. In other words, there is no real difference when comparing cultured freshwater pearls vs. freshwater pearls. The real differentiator is the environment in which they are made, either freshwater or saltwater.

Typical Price Range: Low: below US$200. Average: US$200 – US$600. Fine Quality: US$1000 – US$36,000 or more.

How Much Does a Real Pearl Necklace Cost? A real pearl necklace can cost anywhere from $150 to $10,000+ or even more for exceptional examples. Affordable Freshwater necklaces can go as low as $150, while a classic Akoya necklace will cost anywhere from $250 to $5000+.

The Tooth Test: Simply rub the pearl against your tooth, softly. If the pearl is natural or cultured, you will feel the surface as gritty. If the pearl is a faux gem, then the surface will feel smooth.

A cultured pearl is a genuine pearl, produced by an oyster or mollusk, but with human assistance. There are two main types of cultured pearls: freshwater and saltwater pearls.

That said, there are a few considerations you may want to keep in mind: Generally, lighter pearls – white, rose, peach, cream – work well with fairer skin tones. Darker complexions go well with gold and cream-colored pearls. Olive skin tones and white pearls with silver overtones are a good match.

Mix a solution of lukewarm water and a few drops of mild detergent or dish soap. Water that is too hot or too cold may damage the surface of the pearls, so double-check the temperature before using it on the jewelry. Dip a soft, clean cloth into the water and gently wipe down the pearls.

The Parable of the Pearl (also called the Pearl of Great Price) is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in Matthew 13 and illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The most luminous of all, “Mikimoto Pearl”

An important factor to look out for is the thickness of the nacre as this determines the pearl's luster. Only the Akoya cultured pearls with the highest quality and luster can be bestowed with the name “Mikimoto Pearl.”

Mikimoto Akoya pearls can range from $300 for a pair of 7 mm studs to over $500,000, depending on the collection and grade of pearls. A lower quality (A+) grade pearl necklace can set you back between $3,000 to $7,000, with flawless AAA grade pearls costing several thousand dollars.

How can you tell if pearls are Mikimoto? ›

How do I know that my pearl jewelry is Mikimoto? You can always identify Mikimoto jewelry by our trademark, which is either the outline of an oyster or the Mikimoto name engraved on every piece. This engraved mark can be found in the following locations: Necklaces and bracelets: back of clasp.

Pearls are best kept in a soft-cloth pouch or a soft-lined jewelry box. Never store your pearls in an airtight environment such a a zip lock bag. Pearls are organic and do contain trace amounts of water. Storing them in an airtight environment will cause them to become brittle and damage the luster.

Pearls with particular brand names will also retain (and even increase) their value over the years; vintage Mikimoto Akoya pearls that still have their original clasp, box and papers to establish provenance are very highly sought after today and continue to fetch premium resale values.

High-Quality Pearls are a Wearable investment

While you might think that gold and silver is an obvious choice when buying investment jewelry, pearls are an excellent alternative. In recent years auction houses such as Christie's have sold pearl jewelry far exceeding the value of other gemstones.

AAAA High-Grade Tahitian pearls representing the top 2% of a pearl harvest. Surface. A Pearls having flaws on at least 60% of the pearl surface, with 20% containing deep imperfections. AA Flawless pearl on 40% if its surface, with the remaining 50% having minor imperfections and 10% containing deep flaws.

All other factors being equal, the bigger the pearls are the better. Cultured pearls can range in size from tiny 1.0mm seed pearls up to 21.0mm and rarely, even larger. To date, the largest cultured pearl in the world is an astonishing 29.65mm South Sea baroque.

And the big difference between freshwater pearl and Akoya pearl is that the former one is cultivated in freshwater mussels and the other one is cultivated in saltwater oysters. Akoya pearl is a bead-nucleated cultured pearl cultivated from Akoya oysters that growing in the saltwater.

Hold one or two pearls between your thumb and forefinger and press them gently into the biting edge of your front teeth. Rub them against your teeth with a side-to-side motion. A real pearl will usually have a slightly rough or gritty texture from tiny scale-like imperfections in its outer layers of nacre.

The pearl is the shaped nacre formed on the foreign object. Mother of Pearl is shaped like the shell – and so it can cover larger areas such as watch faces, whereas a pearl is usually shaped round and made into beads etc.

Pearl Rice is a variety of short-grain white rice. Identified by its small, stout shape and starchy texture. This makes it ideal for dishes where the grains need to stick together like sushi or rice pudding.

Do real pearls turn yellow? ›

Yellow pearls typically indicate that pearls are real since artificial pearls don't normally change color. While natural white pearls can yellow with age, there are such things as naturally yellow pearls. These naturally yellow stones are yellow not because of their age but because of the way they have been cultivated.

Perhaps the best-loved gems of all time, pearls—both natural and modern cultured pearls—occur in a wide variety of colors. The most familiar colors are white and cream (a light yellowish brown). Black, gray, and silver are also fairly common, but the palette of pearl colors extends to every hue.

Fake pearls are also called “faux”, “costume” or “imitation”. They can be made of glass, plastic, or fish-scale imitations. For example, "majorica pearls" are a form of fake pearls. There is nothing in them that rightly allow them to be called pearls.

While the akoya pearl is considered to be (overall) more rare and valuable than the freshwater pearl, it is only the third most valuable commercially produced pearl, falling behind South Sea and Tahitians. It is still common to find top-quality akoya pearl strands retailing for more than $10,000, however.

Freshwater pearls are the most affordable pearl variety on the market today and offer excellent value to anyone who wants to venture into the world of pearls. Often called the 'fashion-forward' pearl, freshwater pearls come in a range of colors and shapes and are used in modern designs and jewelry styles.

South Sea Pearls of 9.5 – 10.5 mm sizes are more common. But the smaller Akoya oyster has a hard time producing a pearl as large as 9.5 – 10.5 mm, making these pearls much rarer, hence the higher price. Akoya Pearls are preferred for someone wanting a bright white/pink lustrous strand in this “overlap” size range.

Both natural and cultured pearls have textured surface due to their layered nacre structure. So when you rub the pearls lightly against each other or on your front teeth, they feel a little gritty. Fake or imitation pearls, however, usually feel smooth or glassy.

You can expect to receive anywhere from $20-$500 for a pearl necklace. Like any item you bring into a pawn shop, the amount you receive for your pearls is determined by: The demand for pearls at the time.

Wear Your Pearls Often

If your pearls dry out this causes them to become brittle and the risk of them becoming damaged or they start to peel will increase. So it is important that you wear your pearls as often as you can.

Natural pearls grow in the wild without human intervention. They are very rare, and most natural pearls in the market today are antique. Cultured pearls are grown in pearl farms, and are the direct result of human intervention.

How much should I pay for pearls? ›

How Much Are Real Pearls Worth? A traditional strand of white pearls can range from $100 (Freshwater pearl necklace) to $10,000 (Akoya pearl necklace). A strand of large, flawless South Sea pearls could even be valued as high as $100,000+ .

Jones found that a 5 percent solution of acetic acid, a concentration identical to that of white vinegar sold in supermarkets today, takes 24 to 36 hours to dissolve a pearl weighing approximately one gram.

Cultured Saltwater pearls are more expensive than cultured freshwater pearls because the saltwater oyster only typically only produces one pearl at a time. Freshwater mussels can produce up to 30 pearls at a time. This -- combined with the higher labor costs in Japan -- creates a more expensive pearl.

SWAROVSKI Crystal Pearls are perfect replicas of genuine pearls. They are made of a unique crystal core covered with an innovative pearl coating, producing a flawless, silky smooth, rounded surface.

Akoya Pearls: These pearls represent some of the best cultured pearls available today. Known for their metallic luster and perfectly round shape, they are regarded as the classic white pearl. While most Akoya pearls are farmed in Japan, China and Vietnam both produce Akoya pearls as well.

The colour of a pearl is determined by the coloured lip of the mollusc in which it was formed. A pearl's overall shade is made up of its body colour and an overtone which may be warm or cool (for example a creamy white pearl with a pink overtone), which is why some pearls are multi-tonal under different lights.

Price. Freshwater pearls are cheaper for several reasons. First, freshwater mussels are larger and can thus produce more pearls at a time than can saltwater oysters. As a result, freshwater pearls are more abundant.

The most luminous of all, “Mikimoto Pearl”

An important factor to look out for is the thickness of the nacre as this determines the pearl's luster. Only the Akoya cultured pearls with the highest quality and luster can be bestowed with the name “Mikimoto Pearl.”

Mikimoto Akoya pearls can range from as low as $300 for a pair of 7.0mm Akoya pearl stud earrings to as high as $500,000 or more depending on the pearls and the collections you are looking at.

How do I know that my pearl jewelry is Mikimoto? You can always identify Mikimoto jewelry by our trademark, which is either the outline of an oyster or the Mikimoto name engraved on every piece. This engraved mark can be found in the following locations: Necklaces and bracelets: back of clasp.

How do you tell if you have Akoya pearls? ›

For Akoya pearls, you'll mainly notice pin prick blemishes, lighter or darker areas of organic conchiolin build up visible just under the surface crystal, and small, white wrinkles in the surface nacre. Freshwater Pearl Inclusions are mostly dull white "chalky spots" and subtle ridges on the pearl surfaces.

Mix a solution of lukewarm water and a few drops of mild detergent or dish soap. Water that is too hot or too cold may damage the surface of the pearls, so double-check the temperature before using it on the jewelry. Dip a soft, clean cloth into the water and gently wipe down the pearls.

South Sea pearls are considered the most valuable. They are also the largest pearl variety on the market. A strand of South Sea pearls can range from $1,000 to over $100,000.

While the white pearls are also priced by jewelers, the gold pearl variety is the most coveted color. The gold South sea pearl's color can range from creamy white to deep gold, and the darker the color, the more expensive it becomes.

Saltwater pearls have a more brilliant shine and luster than freshwater pearls and are more expensive. Pearl facts: After implanting the seed pearl, oysters are tended to by divers as they grow. The color of the pearl depends mainly on the color of the oyster shell itself.

The value of a pearl can vary dramatically depending on many factors, such as its type, size, color, surface quality, and more. A wild pearl will be worth more than a cultured pearl. However, on average, a pearl's value ranges from $300 to $1500.

This means that people of Taurus, Gemini, Virgo, Capricorn and Aquarius ascendant should not wear pearls. If such people wear pearls then their mind gets distracted and upheaval starts in life. Those people whose moon is placed in the 12th or 10th house in their horoscope are also not advised to wear pearls.

Vinegar is acetic acid (10%), so pearls will naturally dissolve in vinegar.

Pearl necklace. A pearl necklace is a slang term referring to a sexual act in which a man ejacul*tes sem*n on or near the neck, chest, or breast of another person. If ejacul*tion is onto the other person's face it can be called a facial.

Yellow pearls typically indicate that pearls are real since artificial pearls don't normally change color. While natural white pearls can yellow with age, there are such things as naturally yellow pearls. These naturally yellow stones are yellow not because of their age but because of the way they have been cultivated.

Are pearls cheaper in Japan? ›

Even with the soaring yen, prices for high-quality pearls are somewhat lower in Japan than in the United States. Japanese governmental supervision of pearl sales is very strict. Even naive shoppers are safe purchasing pearls in Japan, especially if they buy from a reputable shop.

Pearls are best kept in a soft-cloth pouch or a soft-lined jewelry box. Never store your pearls in an airtight environment such a a zip lock bag. Pearls are organic and do contain trace amounts of water. Storing them in an airtight environment will cause them to become brittle and damage the luster.