South Sea Cultured Pearls
 

OK, now for the big leagues. South Sea pearls are the giants of the pearl world, ranging from 8mm up to jawbreaker-like 22mm sizes, with the bulk of the production between 10 and 14mm. South Sea pearls range from silver to white, cream, and golden colors.

Why are they so big? South Sea pearls are grown in the jumbo Pictada Maxima oyster in the warm waters of Australia, the Philippines, Burma, Indonesia, and other areas of Southeast Asia.

The luster of a South Sea pearl is generally softer and more satiny, not as reflective as the luster of an Akoya pearl. (This is a polite way to say that the quality of the luster is never as high in South Sea pearls as it is in Akoya.)

And the color is generally not as good either. Because they are considered a premium pearl, South Sea pearls are generally not bleached white to even out their color (as Akoya pearls generally are.) But naturalness has a price. A fine strand of South Sea cultured pearls can easily be $50,000 to $100,000.

Next, we take a look at the least expensive pearl variety: Chinese freshwater cultured pearls.