They are quite small typically only a few millimeters.
Types of pearls.
A blister pearl a half sphere formed flush against the shell of the pearl oyster.
A natural pearl is formed accidentally without any human intervention.
Natural pearls are very rare and therefore very expensive.
There are also different types of mollusks that produce very different looking pearls.
The first main distinction is a natural and a cultured pearl.
How many different types of pearls are there.
A cultured pearl is formed through the human introduction of an irritant.
Freshwater pearls come in an almost unlimited verity of shapes from symmetrical round to baroque and everything in between.
Over 10 000 pearls may be sorted before a 16 single strand of beautifully matched pearls is assembled.
In natural pearls the irritant generally comes from the water its surrounded by while in cultured pearls a piece of tissue is inserted by people.
This is due to their remarkable range of sizes shapes and colors plus their commercial availability at lower price points.
Pearls can be found in saltwater and in freshwater.
Saltwater pearls include the akoya cultured pearls grown in japanese and chinese.
Types of cultured pearls.
They are a byproduct of the culturing process and hence do not happen without human intervention.
In reaction the mollusc begins to produce layers of nacre around the irritant.
Due to their availability and affordable prices they are among the most popular of all pearl types for both designers and consumers alike.
Freshwater cultured pearls are the most commonly produced pearls and they are one of the most popular pearl types among shoppers and jewelry designers.