Super Fitness Health BlogWhat is the Major Difference Between Freshwater Pearls and Akoya Pearls?
When considering cultured pearls, Akoya pearls trump the other types in luster and glow. But when you’re not familiar with pearls, you might confuse Akoya with freshwater pearls. This is an article that shows the main difference between the two.
Introduction
Pearls are one of the very few jewelry items, if not the only jewelry piece, produced from a living organism. A by-product of shelled mollusks, they’re prized by many women globally because of their complex beauty and eternal elegance. They fall under 3 major classifications: natural, cultured, and imitation. Plus they come in different shapes, sizes, shine, and luster, or qualities that usually influence their worth.
In past times, there was plethora of natural pearls, or those that grow without the need for human involvement. However as the years went by, oysters making them have become more and more hard to find. So people started to create their own farms to induce the production process, therefore resulting to what we currently call as “cultured pearls.” Of this type, Akoya is said to possess the highest quality.
Different Between Freshwater and Akoya
If you are planning on surprising your loved one with an Akoya pearl necklace or pearl earrings, understanding the main difference between freshwater and Akoya stops you from purchasing the wrong type. Here are the differences between the two.
1. Luster
While both kinds may have excellent luster, freshwater pearls have a satin-like and soft shininess. And sometimes they can have a rainbow brilliancy in them. Akoya, on the other hand, has a more lustrous surface that gives the entire piece an extremely shiny and brilliant character. Many would say that Akoya’s luster is almost mirror-like.
2. Cultivation
Just like what the name indicates, a freshwater pearl is grown in farms that use mainly freshwater. Akoya, on the other hand, is produced in the ocean or sea surrounding Japan. To grow Akoya, a shell is forced in to the oyster, which ultimately coats the shell with nacre, a substance that gives the resulting gem its brilliant outer coating or luster. The disadvantage of this technique is that as the gem ages, the nacre thins out so the shell will likely be noticeable. As for freshwater, there are no shells involved, so they are mostly to last for many decades to come.
3. Price
In general, Akoya may cost more than freshwater. It is because the ocean may be risky and capricious. As for freshwater, the natural environment can be controlled, so freshwater mollusks have the capability to create more than one pearl simultaneously.
4. Form
Akoya has a round shape, while freshwater is often off-round.
5. Colour
The colour of pearls depend on the colour of the mollusk’s shell. But usually, an Akoya can have a blue and yellow colour, while the freshwater-type is primarily white.
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