Since the 1990s, a new class of round and lustrous freshwater pearls has emerged, offering buyers the widest selection of sizes, shapes, and colors. Freshwater pearls come from freshwater mussels, mainly in China.
Freshwater pearls range in size from 2.0-3.0 mm to 11.0-12.0 mm, with new experimental varieties reaching 14.0-15.0 mm! Freshwater pearl mussels produce a variety of natural colors, most typically in pastel shades of pink, peach, lavender and white. The most valuable freshwater pearl shapes are as close to true round as possible, but symmetrical and free-form baroque shapes are also common. Prices can range from $30 to thousands of dollars, depending on the jewelry type, size and quality of the pearls.
Most cultured freshwater pearls are "tissue nucleated", which means that a small 1.0 mm square piece of donor mantle tissue is used as a nucleus to start growing the pearl inside the mussel. As the pearl grows, the donor tissue degrades, leaving a pearl that is nearly 100% solid crystalline nacre. This means freshwater pearls are extremely durable!
Generally speaking, while ensuring the quality of pearls, freshwater pearl jewelry gives jewelry the highest cost performance, which undoubtedly lowers the purchase threshold for people who love pearl jewelry.
