Pearl Luster

What are Akoya pearls? Grown in ocean salt waters, Akoya pearls are the most popular cultured pearls in the world. Akoya pearls are famous for their shape, beauty and high luster. Though smaller in size, no other type can match the luminous luster of Akoya pearls. Actually, Akoya pearls were the first pearls to be cultured in the early 20th century, thereby providing pearl jewelry at an affordable price to interested buyers. Being smaller in size, Akoya pearls are often used as pearl strands, the most desirable color being white with pink overtones.

So how are these cultured Akoya pearls formed? The formation of a pearl begins in the inside of an oyster when a foreign body enters it. Now since the entry naturally causes irritation, the oyster covers it with layers of secretion that are produced by the mantle. And this is how a pearl begins to take shape and grow. Taking the cue from nature, man has started organizing farms. Oysters are usually cultivated in shallow basins or lagoons where divers insert elements into the oysters or simply cut a slit in the mantle of the oyster and then let it go for the pearl to develop over time. The pearls that are so obtained are referred to as cultured pearls.

The oyster that produces Akoya pearls are the smallest, adults are between three to five inches in diameter, and thus, Akoya pearls are much smaller than the other variants. But what it lacks in volume is more than compensated in quality. Considering pearl value factors, the Akoya stands out and as a matter of fact, most of them prove ‘exceptional’. The secret behind the ‘matching quality’ lies in their shape, which is round or near-round.

However, size sometimes becomes an important factor in evaluating an Akoya pearl as there is apparently a gulf of difference between a 7.5 mm and an 8 mm Akoya. This is because the 8 mm variety fits snugly in fashion jewelry whereas the 7.5 mm variety is simply discarded. Though small in size, but these pearls increase in value as the size grows. However, size notwithstanding, Akoya pearls have typically good luster that stands out as a precious gem.

A word or two about Akoya pearls in fashion jewelry. These amazing pearls are a favorite of fashion designers and jewelers and are thus used in rings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, brooches, earrings for the women and tie tacks, cufflinks and other accessories for men. Among all the above uses, probably Akoya pearls are most widely used in pearl necklaces. Akoya pearls are available in white or cream in body color with rose, silver or ivory overtones. However some of these Akoya pearls are also available as black which is attained through coloring using a process known as irradiation.