About Freshwater Pearls

Our second love is Pearls! There are many kinds of pearls from the oceans all over the world. In China the main action is in Freshwater Pearls similar to those pearls from Lake Biwa in Japan.

In China, the Freshwater Pearls are cultured pearls grown in freshwater ponds or lakes in several areas near the coast. The commercial farming of freshwater pearls has become very successful in China and the pearls come in a broad spectrum of sizes, shapes and colors.

In contrast to the traditional pearl from an oyster in the ocean, freshwater pearls often are an irregular shape and texture. Sometimes they are flat and oval shaped. Sometimes they are barrel shaped with ridges. Sometimes they are round, and sometimes they are completely irregular in shape creating an interesting effect in jewelry design. The surface texture often has ridges or little bumps. This is all part of the process of their creation within the live mussel in the pond.

The freshwater pearls from China vary in quality and we attempt to find the nicest we can offer for a reasonable price. The colors vary from white, to off-white, pink, and grey to dark charcoal grey (Raven’s Wing pearls!).

We utilize pearls the size of a poppy seed to pearls the size of a dime! We feel they mix well with turquoise, jade, and just about everything else when used as part of our creative pallet.