Freshwater Pearl Beads

Pearl Formation - The Complete Process
Pearls are a rare and beautiful product of nature that form inside certain molluscs as a defence mechanism. Natural pearls form through a fascinating process that takes place over several years inside oysters and certain freshwater mussels. 

Triggering Irritation
The pearl production process starts when a foreign substance somehow enters the mollusc's shell. This is usually a tiny parasite or a piece of sand or shell. The irritant becomes lodged inside the mollusc's mantle folds - the delicate tissue that lines the mollusc's shells. Finding an irritant inside its shell triggers the mollusc to start secreting fluid to coat the irritant in order to reduce irritation.

Nacre Secretion 
The coating substance that molluscs secrete is called nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl. Nacre is comprised of calcium carbonate crystals bonded together by conchiolin - a sticky protein. Nacre also lines the inner side of the mollusc's shell. Once a foreign irritant is detected, the mollusc will continuously secrete tiny amounts of nacre to surround the irritant.

Building Layers of Lustre
As more nacre coats the irritant, layers upon layers build up, eventually forming a pearl. This whole process takes several years as thousands of thin nacre layers accumulate around the irritant. The longer time periods allow for thicker nacre secretion, which creates larger and higher quality pearls. The iridescent lustre of pearls comes from the translucent layers of nacre that refract light at different angles.
In summary, pearl formation relies on a natural defence system of molluscs that coats irritants in multiple crystalline nacre layers over several years, creating beautifully lustrous gems.

Natural Shapes and Colours
The configuration of natural pearls mirrors the original shape of the foreign object that entered the mollusc. Perfectly spherical pearls are exceedingly rare, with irregular or oval shapes being more prevalent. Pearl hue derives from the mollusc species and aquatic environment, presenting shades like white, black, grey, yellow, pink, and blue.

Dyed Colours
Enhanced colour palettes often result from dyeing. Vibrant hues typically indicate dyed pearls..

Cultured Pearl Farming 
The rarity of perfect natural pearls led to the development of pearl farming - a small bead or piece of mantle tissue is inserted into the mollusc to stimulate pearl creation. Pearl farmers can control pearl size, shape and quality much better. However, the natural lustre of cultured pearls is still dependent on nacre quality and thickness secreted by the mollusc.

Difference between Freshwater and Seawater Pearls
Specimen pearls are usually from seawater oysters also known as Tahitian, South Sea and Akoya pearls, in the search for perfection they tend to be the largest and most round with a price that reflects their higher quality and rarity.
Freshwater mussels primarily contribute to affordable bead strands available commercially at bead shops. While these pearls can stem from natural or farmed sources, the majority of affordable pearls are farmed.
Biwa pearls are farmed from freshwater mussels in Lake Biwa, Japan. 

Farmed Pearl Shapes
Pearls are normally available in Round, Button, Potato, Nugget and Rice shapes. Less common, other geometric shapes are also available.

Grading System
There is no universal grading system - all suppliers use their own standards so cannot be compared easily from one to another. Usually they are classed from least to best quality: A, AA, AA+, AAA. 

Keshi Pearls
Sometimes the mollusc rejects the foreign nucleus but still continues to form the nacre into a solid nacre random shape pearl, often cornflake shape. These are considered genuine pearls and are highly valued.

Edison Pearls
A relatively new introduction is a method of nucleating with a single large round nucleus in the hope of producing a pearl to compare with Saltwater pearls.

Blister Pearls
Pearls embedded into the shell are known as blister, they are cut from the shell so have a plain side.

Shell Pearls
Reconstructed from ground shell powder blended with a binder, these imitations may resemble pearls but lack authenticity.

Mother of Pearl
MOP is the Nacre layer produced  in the same way as pearls but on the inner surface of some molluscs. The layer can be cut from the shell in a range thicknesses sometimes made thin enough to be used as a veneer. Thicker pieces may be carved into intricate shapes.

Care Tips
Always put your pearls on last - after applying your perfumes or potions and lotions, take them off first when you undress.
Pearls should be cleaned only with mild soap and water and dried with a soft cloth; never use harsh chemicals or ultrasonic cleaners on your pearls which are a natural product - remember, pearls need the oils naturally found on your skin to thrive and never store them in plastic bags long term or they will lose their sheen.
Never clean your pearls with solutions that contain abrasives,  ammonia or harsh detergents and don't use an ultrasonic cleaner.

Discover our range of Pearl bead strand here.