The Ultimate Guide to Buying Freshwater Pearls

EVERYTHING Need to Know About Buying Freshwater Pearls

Freshwater pearls are colorful, interesting and always evolving. These lovely pearls are also the most affordable pearls available in jewelry markets today.

The Freshwater Pearl Jewelry Buyer's Guide is a helpful article that covers all aspects of these amazing pearls. Here you will find insights on their long, storied history, their gorgeous array of colors, to their size ranges, shapes and more.

As always, our Buyer's Guides are brimming with our fabulous pearl pictures and visual aids, so you'll always know exactly what to expect when shopping for Freshwater pearlsat Pure.

Use the Table of Contents below to skip to the parts of the article that interest you the most.

Freshwater Pearl Basics
Freshwater Pearl History
Freshwater Pearl Farming
Freshwater Pearl Shapes
Freshwater Pearl Colors

Freshwater Pearl Sizes
Freshwater Pearl Grading
AA+ vs. AAA Quality Freshwater Pearls
Freshwater Pearl Jewelry Guide

Freshwater Pearl Basics

Freshwater pearls are famous for their rainbow of natural colors which include White, Pink, Peach and Lavender. All the colors are natural, with no enhancements or dyes (unless otherwise noted).

Freshwater pearls have a touchable, satiny luster that appears to glow from within. This comes from the fact that almost all cultured Freshwater pearlsare composed of 100% solid crystalline nacre. Light rays will penetrate the various crystalline layers and return to the viewer. As the rays break up on their return trip, they will create a softer, more diffuse "glowing" effect for the pearl. This is what gives Freshwater pearls their trademark soft, satin luster.

Freshwater pearls are farmed in freshwater ponds, lakes and even rivers. 99% of all Freshwater pearls originate in China. The largest farming and pearl processing centersare located in Zhuji, Nanjing and Guangzhou. Other Freshwater pearl sources include Tennessee, USA and Lake Biwa in Japan.

Freshwater pearls are cultured in the freshwater pearl mussel. Theseare hybridized varieties of the triangle pearl mussel, which havebeen bred to maximize their pearl harvest output. These varieties are hyriopsis cumingii and hyriopsis schlegeli. Each mussel is capable of producing between 15-20 pearls of each side of its shell.

Freshwater pearls have one of the largest size ranges of all modern cultured pearl types. Freshwater pearls range from tiny 2.0mm pearls, running through the more versatile 6.5mm–11.0mm ranges. Larger pearls up to 16.0-17.0mm in size have recently become available. These large pearls are the result of over a decade of experimentation in pearliculture, andare meant to one day (soon!) challenge the supremacy of the saltwater South Sea pearls from Australia.

So those are the basics. Keep reading for a detailed breakdown of each attribute to learn all you could want to know about these gorgeous treasures.

Freshwater Pearl History

Cultured Freshwater pearl history stretches back to the Han dynasty, 100 BC. The earliest examples date back to enterprising pearl fishers, who figured out how to drill through the mussel's hard outer shell. They attached metal beads or forms to the inside of the mussel shell, and allowed the mollusk to coat the shapes with pearly nacre.

The resulting pearlswere cut out of the shell at harvest and made into jewelry and religious talismans for children and pilgrims. These were the very first intentionally formed blister pearls in the world. Shown above are the commonly used figure of Buddha, but many other shapes were used.

Freshwater Pearl History: Imperial Phoenix Crown, Han Dynasty

Pearls were among the most important gemstones in China and were very highly prized. This winter Phoenix crown belonged to an Empress of the Qing Dynasty. Dating as far back as 1644, the stunning crown showcases marvelous artistry and lustrous Freshwater pearls. Photo courtesy of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

Freshwater Pearl History: Qing Dynasty Imperial Pearl Jewelry

Another Phoenix crown and traditional robes worn in the Imperial courts of the Qing Dynasty. This incredible costume waspainstakingly recreated from the original designs, whichare found in the Palace Museum of Beijing. Made for the hit TV series: The Story of Yanxi Palace.

Freshwater Pearl History: Empress Cixi Pearl Cape

Portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi, the Last Empress of China. Empress Cixi was famous for her love of pearls, and had this pearl cape fashioned for herself, among many other treasures. The pearl cape itself is called a "yunjian" and was usually made from fabrics and embroidery. Cixi's infamous pearl cape likely weighed close to 12 pounds. Upon her death, Cixi was buried with a pearl in her mouth the size of a robin's egg! In addition her royal coffinwas filled with thousands of pearls and other precious gemstones. Image courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine.

Freshwater Pearl History: Empress Cixi Pearl Cape Story of Yangxi Palace

What Empress Cixi's yunjian would have looked like in real life, as shown on "The Story of Yanxi Palace".

Freshwater Pearl History: Emperor Yongzheng Pearl Necklace

Portrait of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty wearing his ceremonial court pearl necklace, called a chao zhu. This chao zhuis composed of natural Chinese Freshwater pearls, lapis lazuli, turquoise, red corals and other precious gemstones. This example has over 109 fine "Eastern" pearls which were reserved for the Imperial Court. This example sold at auction (Sotheby's Hong Kong) in 2010 for $8.7 million. Photos courtesy of Sotheby's Hong Kong

Freshwater pearls have a long and storied history, stretching all the way back to 2000 BCE, and earlier. Natural Freshwater pearls werehighly prized in Chinese culture, and werefrequently worn by royals and the elite of society. Pearls were used in traditional jewelry items like necklaces and pearl earrings. Pearls were also used to adorn clothing, hair pieces, hats, crowns, shoes, fingernail guards and much more.

The first cultured blister pearls were created by the ancient Chinese, around 100 BC. Blister pearls are half-pearls grown on the inside of a mollusk’s shell and then cut out once the formis covered in iridescent nacre. The resulting blister pearls are then set into jewelry and religious charms. These early cultured pearls were often created in the shape of Buddha, but many other shapes like dragons, koi fish and coins were also used.

Modern cultured Freshwater pearl operations didn’t begin in China until the 1960s with the birth of the infamous "Rice Crispy" pearls.From the 60s through the 1980s, the vast majority of all Chinese Freshwater pearl harvestswere purchased by Japan. These pearlswere sold under the "Product of Japan" blue tag label, which created a lot of confusion.Many buyers were under the impression they had bought Japanese Freshwater pearls from Lake Biwa.

Finally in the early 80s, China began marketing their own pearls. They branded their pearls "Shanghai Lake Freshwater Pearls", to set them apart from the famous Japanese Biwa pearls. The pastel, feminine colors and low price points of Chinese Freshwater pearls made them a jewelry designer favorite. The cultured Chinese Freshwater pearl industry was off to a good start on the world's markets.

As pearliculture in China modernized, the shapes of the pearls have continually improved. It is almost as though we can document the improvements of the Freshwater pearl by the decade!

1970s: Heavily Baroque and small-in-size "Rice Crispy" pearls

1980s: Flat-bottomed Button-Shape pearls and "Rice Crispy" pearls

1990s: Egg and Ovalish-shaped, with and without circling “Potato” pearls

2000s: Near Round and Very Near True Round pearl shapes

2010s: Fireballs, Ripples, Soufflé pearls and other bead-nucleated pearl shapes emerge

2020s: Very Large, perfectly round Edison pearls (bead-nucleated Freshwater)

The journey is FAR from over. China provides some of the most cutting edge and interesting experiments in pearling technology. We look forward to keeping up with the newest pearl innovations to come out of China in the years to come.

The Freshwater Pearl Farms

The land of China has countless freshwater rivers, ponds and lakes where the Freshwater pearl mussel calls home. The main pearling areas started near Shanghai, and later spread to Zhuji and Guangzhou.

Freshwater pearl mussels are generally raised from spat (i.e. not collected in the wild). These mussels are bred specifically for pearling purposes. Each musselis nucleated up to 25xs on each side of the shell, leaving us with a potential harvest of 50 pearls per mussel!

The two mussels primarily used in Freshwater pearliculture today are:

Hyriopsis cumingii

Hyriopsis schlegeli

Growth times average around 2-3 years before the pearls are harvested. The pearls are washed and scrubbed to remove organic material after harvest. The pearls are then sent to large pearl processing factories for further sorting, grading and possible treatments beforebeing sold.

Freshwater Pearl Farming: China's Rivers and Lakes

China is home to thousands of rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and reservoirs where the Freshwater pearl mussels make their homes. Most modern Freshwater pearl farms are situated on man-made aquaculture ponds however.

Freshwater Pearl Farming: Hyriopsis pearl mussels

The two mussel varieties used to cultivate Freshwater pearls are Hyriopsis cumingii and Hyriopsis schlegeli. Both varieties can grow to up to 1-foot in diameter at maturity. The interior of the shells is usually a white to blue-ish white, violet and feature flashes of rainbow iridescence. Both varieties producenaturally colored White, Pink, Peach and Lavender pearl colors that we all love so much.

In China, the majority of pearl farms are family or community-owned operations. Many farmers anchor their mussels with floating plastic bottles to mark their locations on the bottoms of the ponds.Larger corporate farms like Grace Pearl Company are wheretruly cutting edge pearliculture techniquesare honed. Grace is the pearl farm known for creating the famed Edison Pearl.

Freshwater Pearl Farming: Pearl Harvests

Freshwater pearl harvests can be a staggering sight to behold. Freshly harvested pearls fill baskets waiting to be sorted, matched and drilled at the pearl processing factory. Each year, Freshwater pearl harvests weigh a thousand tons combined!

Here's a few Freshwater Pearl Farming facts for pearl lovers to know:

Freshwater pearls are mostly "tissue-nucleated". This means that tiny 1.0mm squares of donor tissue from another mussel into the body of the host mussel. Freshwater pearl mussels are nucleated up to 25 times on each side of the shell. Any mussel can produce up to 50 pearls each at harvest time.

Freshwater pearls get harvested after a 2-3 year growth period, on average. Most Freshwater pearl mussels are not re-used after the first harvest; instead the meat and shells sold for industrial uses.

Traditionally tissue-nucleated Freshwater pearls are 100% solid crystalline nacre. There is no interior bead nuclei like with saltwater pearls: just solid nacre layers. This makes Freshwater pearlsincredibly durable, and very like natural, wild pearlsin terms of crystalline structure.

After harvest, the pearls are washed and scrubbed to remove organic debris. They are then gently polished in tumblers filled with waxed bamboo chips.

Many Freshwater pearlsare left in theirnaturally beautiful colors of White, Pink, Peach and Lavender.Some of the harvestare sent foradditional treatments such as dyeing in a rainbow of tantalizing colors. Pure Pearls does not carry dyed Freshwater pearlswith the exception of Black, whichis disclosed on each product listing.

Most of the pearl farms today are run as small, family and community owned collectives. These aquaculture ponds also host fish, freshwater prawns and other agricultural products.

Corporate pearl farms are on the risehowever, with man-made reservoirs and ponds spanning hundreds of acres. These large, shallow reservoirs are host to thousands of pearl mussels. Larger organizations with access to more resources are key to some of the most cutting edge innovations in modern pearliculture. We look forward to seeing the next evolution in Freshwater pearls.

Click here to learn more about Pearl Farming.

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Freshwater Pearl Shapes

Cultured Freshwater pearls have a stunning variety of shapes to please pearl lovers of all stripes and budgets. Use the slideshow below to see the most common Freshwater pearl shapes.

AA+ Quality Freshwater pearls are most often Off-Round to Ovalish in shape.

AAA Quality Freshwater pearls are Very Slightly Off-Round to Near True Round shapes.

AAAA Quality Freshwater pearls are as close to True Round as possible, with less than 3% deviance from a true spherical shape.

Freshwater Pearl Shapes: Rice Crispy Pearls

Rice crispy pearls (also known as just rice pearls) were one of the first pearl shapes available in cultured Freshwater pearls from China. They're known for their small - 2.0-3.0mm in size -and crinkly rice shapes, and today are worth just a few dollars per strand, retail. You can still find strands of rice pearls in beading stores and wholesale jewelry supply stores. Often, rice crispy pearls are dyed in every color of the rainbow.

Potato pearls were the next step in the evolution of the Freshwater pearl's shape. These pearlsare characterized by their large, pillow-y shapes andmultiple circles (rings) visible around the circumference of the pearls. Potato pearls are an inexpensive way for beaders to hone their craft, and create unique, interesting jewelry designs for very low cost.

Freshwater Pearl Shapes: Off-Round Pearls

Off-Round to Slightly Off-Round Freshwater pearl shapes were born in the 1990s. These pearls were much smoother overall, with symmetrical shapes and no circling, with ovalish and egg-shapes. The Off-Round to Slightly Off-Round pearls are graded AA+ on Pure's A - AAAA Grading Scale.

Freshwater Pearl Shapes: Very Near to True Round Pearls

Very Slightly Off-Round to Very Near True Round Freshwater pearls have only been available for the past 20 years or so ... they are very recent newcomers to the jewelry markets! Pure's AAAA Collection Freshwater pearls feature pearl shapes that are almostperfectly round to the eye.

Freshwater Pearl Shapes: Baroque Edison Pearls

Baroque Freshwater pearls take on many shapes and sizes, and offer endless variety and beauty. These large Baroque Edison pearls feature heavy surface texture, intense Luster and Orient and measured between 11.0-13.0mm in size.

The “standard” in the pearl industry is to create a perfectly round pearl shape. Perfectly round pearls will fetch the highest prices for everyone from farmer to retail vendors.

Unfortunately, Perfectly Round pearls also represent the smallest percentage of each year's harvests.

That said, the yearly harvest yield for Freshwater pearls of all shapes is 1,000 TONS.

This means that creatingbeautifully matched pearl necklaces isn’tnearly as difficult as it is building matched strands of Tahitian orSouth Sea pearls.

Here's a breakdown of yearly pearl harvests by shape:

True Round pearls are less than 0.05% of each yearly harvest on average
Near-Round Freshwater pearls account for 3% of each yearly harvest (approximately).
Symmetrical Drop-Shapes and Potato pearls are about 10-20% of each pearl harvest.
Baroques and Rice Crispy pearls make up the rest of the yearly yield, around 80-90%

Freshwater Pearl Shapes: True Round Edison Pearls

Edison pearls (pictured above) are a rare "Collector's Item" that have been making large waves in the pearl world. These are bead-nucleated Freshwater pearls thatregularly reach sizes of 15.0mm and 16.0mm!

Edison pearls are China's answer to Australia's large South Sea pearls. The idea is toconsistently create very large,perfectly round and affordable pearls that can compete with the South Sea pearl type. We look forward to continuing to watch this stunning evolution of the Freshwater pearl.

Freshwater Pearl Colors

Freshwater pearls come in naturally occurring shades of White, Pink, Peach and Lavender.

Most White Freshwater pearls feature a warm, creamy White body color, with Ivory and Rose Overtones. The Silver Overtone is the most rare.

The colored Freshwater pearls range throughout all shades of Pink, Peach, Apricot, Mauve / Dusty Rose and all shades of Lavender.

Common Freshwater Pearl Colors

White Freshwater Pearls

White Freshwater pearls are a natural pearl color, and are the all-time customer favorite.Known for being a classic, essential pearl color, White Freshwater pearls are amongst the most versatile colors of all pearls.

Yellow Gold clasps and mountings are recommended for those looking for very traditional pearl jewelry.

White Gold is also a very popular choice to lend the pearls a modern, chic appeal.

OVERTONES INCLUDE:

Rose (hint of pink)
Silver (bright white)
Cream/ (hint of French Vanilla)

Pink Freshwater Pearls

Candy-colored and feminine, Pink Freshwater pearls feature an all-natural array of pastel colors.

Pink Freshwater pearls can range from very pale Baby Pinks to darker, more saturated Bubble-Gum Pink colors.

Yellow Gold is the most popular option for clasps and mountings, which warm up the Pink hues.

White Gold clasps and mountings pair well with Pink pearls by enhancing the cooler Silver and Aquamarine Overtones.

OVERTONES INCLUDE:

Rose (hint of pink)
Silver (bluish-white sheen)
Gold
Aquamarine

Peach Freshwater Pearls

Peach Freshwater pearls are a natural pearl color, and range from pale Peach hues to darker and Orangey Apricot.

Yellow Gold clasps and mountings are recommended to pair with Peach pearls.

White Gold is also used, but rarely as this metal color tends to clash with the warmth of the pearls.

OVERTONES INCLUDE:

Rose (hint of pink)
Silver (bluish-white sheen)
Gold
Green
Aquamarine

Lavender Freshwater Pearls

Lavender Freshwater pearls are a customer favorite. These hues can range from Mauve / Dusty Rose to Lilac and deep Lavender in color.

White Gold clasps and mountings are traditionally paired with Lavender pearls. But Lavender pearls can look great with any metal: White, Yellow and Rose Gold.

OVERTONES INCLUDE:

Aquamarine
Blue
Green
Rose
Gold

Multi-Color Freshwater Pearls

Multi-Color Freshwater pearls have all the pearl colors mixed together in artistic and unique layouts. No two Multi-Color Freshwater strands are the exact same!

Yellow Gold clasps and mountings are perfect for complementing the warm hues of Pink and Peach.

White Gold is excellent for "cooling" down the pearls and playing up the Silver and Lavender hues.

OVERTONES INCLUDE:

All combinations of White, Pink, Peach and Lavender Freshwater Pearl Overtones.

Black Freshwater Pearls

Black Freshwater pearls are color-treated, most often the result of dye. These pearls are characterized by their intense iridescence and pretty multi-colored "Peacock" hues.

White Gold clasps and mountings aretraditionally the most popular metals for Black Freshwater pearls.

Yellow Gold is an excellent option for warming up the Greens, Rose and Copper tones.

OVERTONES INCLUDE:

Violet
Rose
Copper
Denim & Midnight Blue
Blue-Green & Green

Freshwater Pearl Colors: Color-Treated Black

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Fancy Freshwater Pearl Colors

The photo above features absolutely STUNNING color-shifting Metallic Edison Freshwater pearls. These pearls feature unique combinations of Pink, Peach, Copper and Lavender body colors, with a mix of Gold, Silver, Rose, Green and Purple-Violet flashes.

Color-shifting, Metallic and Edison pearls are newcomers to the Freshwater pearl market. They often feature some unique, stunning colors found nowhere else in the jewelry industry. From true Royal Purples to Magenta, Coppers and more, these colors are in a class of their own. Still very much a rarity in the pearl marketsoverall,we hope to see much more of these dazzling colors in the future.

Freshwater Pearl Sizes

Freshwater pearls have one of the widest size ranges of all cultured pearl types today. The Freshwater pearl mussel attains up to a foot in diameter or larger at maturity - they are HUGE. This enables the mussels to create pearls in a wide range of sizes.

Size ranges for Freshwater pearls range from 2.0-3.0mm through 16.0-17.0mm and larger.

The pearls ranging from 6.5-7.0mm through 10.5-11.0mm sizes are the most popular pearl sizes to buy.

Each whole millimeter increase in pearl size equates to a 20-25% larger pearl on average.

So an 11.0-12.0mm Freshwater pearl will be twice as large as a 9.0-10.0mm pearl.

Freshwater Pearl Necklace Sizes

You can choose from either "Non-Graduated" or "Graduated" pearl necklace styles.

Today "Non-Graduated" Freshwater pearl necklaces are the standard ...

But that wasn't always the case.

"Graduated" pearl necklaces used to be regularly seen and worn. This was mainly due to the smaller amounts of pearls jewelers had available to match up a necklace.As Freshwater pearl culturing techniques have improved, so have the volume, quality and consistency of each harvest.Now, with large amounts of pearls to choose from in matching sizes, shapes and colors, creating "Non-Graduated" pearl necklaces is easier than ever.

"Non-Graduated" necklaces span only 0.5-1.0mm. You will often see necklace descriptions with measurements reading 7.5-8.0mm, or 9.0-10.0mm and so on.

This White Freshwater Pearl Rope Necklace has a typical graduation rate of 7.5-8.0mm

“Graduated” Pearl Necklaces are layouts featuring pearls that increase in size more than 1.0mm from the smallest to largest pearls. These layouts would read 6.0-9.5mm, for example.

"Graduated” Freshwater pearl necklaces are usually made to order today. It requires a lot of labor and many hanks of pre-matched Non-Graduated pearls tometiculously match and create a new layout with.

Today many jewelers simply decline the request.

Creating a "Graduated" necklace means many fully-drilled loose pearls in various sizes willbe left over after a jeweleris done "breaking"multiple strands to create a single "Graduated" necklace. These left over pearls can be difficult to find a use for, and often represent a loss to the jeweler.

This "Graduated" Lavender Freshwater pearl necklace ranges in size from 6.0-9.5mm - a very typical graduation rate for smaller pearl types like Freshwater or Akoya pearls.

For more information on pearl size visit: Pure Pearls Ultimate Guide to Pearl Sizes

Freshwater Pearl Grading

Pure Pearls uses the ‘A-AAAA’ Grading System for our Freshwater pearl jewelry.

With A-AAAA Grading Systems, ‘A’ represents the lowest, commercial grade pearls. ‘AAAA’ denotes the finest pearl quality of each yearly harvest.

The A-AAAA Grading Scale takes into account the seven major pearl attributes. These are:

Symmetry of Shape

Surface Quality (blemishing)

Luster

Color / Overtone Depth

Pearl Size

Matching

Origin / Cultured or Natural

Pure Pearls has a firm “AAA Quality Minimum” policy for Freshwater pearl earrings, pendants and rings. This policy has been in place for nearly two decades, and guarantees you’ll always receive only the highest quality pearl jewelry with everypurchase.

Get more in-depth on Freshwater pearl grading by visiting:Pure Pearl's Ultimate Freshwater Pearl Grading Guide

We offer a detailed breakdown for each pearl grade, examine examples of common surface inclusions and more.

Should I Buy AA+ or AAA Quality Freshwater Pearls?

Excellent question! As with all other precious gemstone purchases, we are looking to balance beauty and budget.

Both our AAA Quality and AAAA Quality Freshwater pearls will feature:

Very High to Excellent Luster

Excellent Matching Throughout

Beautiful, Even Color Saturation and Overtones

Fine Presentation When Worn

While shopping for a pearl necklace, keep in mind that cultured pearls are the result of a natural, biological process. As such, pearls can never be completely, flawlessly perfect.

The goal is not to findperfectly characterless round beads - that's what Swarovsky crystal pearls are for!

With fine pearls, we aim to bring you precious gemstones that sparkle with character and personality. Pearls that will become yours, and yours alone.

We always recommend finding pearls with Luster and Colors that you fall in love with first. Then consider other factors like Size or Surface Quality.

Check out the images below to see real-life, side by side comparisons of each grade of our Freshwater pearls versus a strand of AAA Quality Akoya. The unretouched images are perfect for showing you exactly what each Freshwater pearl grade looks like in real life.

We will focus on the 5 Value Factors of Shape, Surface Quality, Luster, Color and Pearl Matching toevaluate each grade. Size and Origin not on this list, as we already know these pearlsare cultured and in a popular size, so rarity is not a factor in valuation here.

Choosing Freshwater Pearls AAA or AA+ Quality

AAA Quality Freshwater

Shape: (bottom strand) are Near True Round or Very Near True Round
Luster: Very High to Excellent with Recognizably Detailed Reflections in the Surfaces. Some Visible Satining on Edges of Reflected Light Sources.
Surface Quality: 95% Free of Surface Blemishes
Color / Overtone: Not Muddy, Clean and Pretty
Matching: Excellent, with Very Little Variation Pearl to Pearl Throughout the Layout.

AA+ Quality Freshwater

Shape: (bottom strand) are Slightly Off-Round to Ovalish or Egg-Shaped.
Luster: High to Very High with Slightly Blurry Reflections in the Surfaces. Visible Satining on Edges of Reflected Light Sources.
Surface Quality: 90-95% Free of Surface Blemishes
Color / Overtone: Not Muddy, Clean and Pretty
Matching: Good to Very Good, with Some Variation Pearl to Pearl Throughout the Layout.

AAAA Quality Freshwater Pearls

Shape: (inner strand) are VERY Near True Round or True Round
Luster: Excellent with Visibly Sharp Reflections in the Surfaces. Mimics saltwater Akoya pearls
Surface Quality: 95-99% Free of Surface Blemishes
Color / Overtone: Not Muddy, Clean and Pretty
Matching: Excellent, with Very Little to No Variation Pearl to Pearl Throughout the Layout.

If you'd like help finding the perfect Pearl Necklace, feel free to Contact Us anytime - our pearl experts are always happy to help.

Freshwater Pearl Jewelry Guide: See Essential Classic and Modern Designs

Freshwater pearls have been making a splash with jewelry designers and pearl lovers for the last decade. Here at Pure Pearls, we expect to continue to see gorgeous new designs using Freshwater pearls to dazzle jewelry buyers for many years to come.

Our Freshwater pearl jewelry collections include staples like pearl studs and classic single strand necklaces, to more couture designs sparkling with diamonds and precious colored gemstones.

Every design is created by hand, to order here in our Los Angeles, CA production offices.

Pure Pearls is proud to offer Freshwater pearls to suit every taste and budget. We truly do have something for everyone to fall in love with.

Freshwater Pearl Jewelry Shopping Guide: Pearl Necklaces

Freshwater pearl necklaces are as versatile as they are affordable. Their lower price points give pearl lovers room to express their creative side! Pure offers everything from classic Single Strands to Double andTriple Strand Necklaces, or long, luxyPearl Ropes. to choose from.

All pearl necklaces are double-knotted between each pearl using fine matching silk thread. We finish each strand with matching 14K Gold clasps and 14K French wire-wrapping to ensure the ends withstand daily handling.

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Freshwater Pearl Jewelry Shopping Guide: Pearl Pendants

Freshwater Pearl Pendants offer unique, eye-catching styles for everyone to love. From classic Solitaire designs to more glamorous pendants scintillating with diamonds, Pure offers a pearl pendant for all tastes and price points. Each Freshwater Pearl Pendant is selected from our AAA and AAAA Quality pearl lots, and is mounted on your choice of solid 14K and 18K Gold.

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Freshwater Pearl Jewelry Shopping Guide: Pearl Earrings

Freshwater Pearl Earringsfeature a soft, gorgeous glow and subtle iridescence. Our tasteful collection includes earring designs from classic pearl studs, to modern dangles and sparkling diamond-accented designs. OurMetallic Pearl Earrings Collection features Freshwater pearls with intense Luster and Orient in both AAA and AAAA Quality Round pearls and stunning, smooth Drop-Shapes in a range of versatile sizes.All of our earring designsare made by hand, to order here at our Los Angeles, CA production office using only the finest pearls, gold and precious stones.

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Freshwater Pearl Jewelry Shopping Guide: Pearl Rings

We always say: A Pearl Ring is never, ever an ordinary ring ... a Freshwater Pearl Ring will ALWAYS get noticed! Each pearl ring is mounted with a rainbow of pearl colors from classic White to modern and chic Lavender and candy-colored Pinks. All Freshwater Pearl Rings are selected from our AAA and AAAA Quality inventory, and is mounted on your choice of solid 14K Gold designs. Many of the designs you see here are exclusive to PurePearls.com and hand-cast by our goldsmith to order, here at our Los Angeles, CA workshop.

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Freshwater Pearl Jewelry Shopping Guide: Pearl Bracelets

Freshwater pearl bracelets can be the perfect finishing touch to any outfit. From simple Single Strands to more luxurious Double and Triple Strand Pearl Bracelets, we offer a taste and style for every occasion.Each pearl bracelet is individually double-knotted between each pearl with matching silk, and finished with a 14K Gold clasp of your choice. 14K French wire-wrapping is meticulously completed for each bracelet to ensure the ends withstand daily wear and tear.

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See which pearl necklace length or size is right for you by reading: Pure Pearl’s Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Perfect Pearl Necklaceand the Pure Pearl's Ultimate Guide to Pearl Sizes.

To get started creating the Freshwater pearl jewelry you’ve been dreaming of, simply Contact Us by email for pricing, photos and more.