Natural pearls found in the Persian Gulf. One of a kind oyster called the Wing Shell Oyster. Any natural pearl found in the West Asia area: The Red Sea; The Persian Gulf; The Gulf of Mannar; the west coast of Sri Lanka.

Salt water pearls from the Akoya oyster. Typically very round. There prices are base on their roundness and discounted as they get less round. They are colored light pink to white to yellowish. Also known as Japanese pearls.
If they are less than 7mm, they are from China.

Freshwater pearls which are cultivated in Japan’s largest lake, Lake Biwa (Japan’s first freshwater culturing site)

Large white saltwater pearls found in Burma, Indonesia, Australia or French Polynesia.

Pearls found in the Black Lipped Oyster. Color is inherent characteristic or the nacre.

Found in either Akoya Oysters or Silver Lip Oysters. Color is due to contaminants in the nacre or between the nacre and the pearl bead nucleus.

The lining of the oyster’s shell.

Pearls sawed in half to remove blemishes. (large ones are _ pearls)

Natural or cultured. Grown attached to the oyster’s shell and cut from the shell. (Tennessee is major producer called DOMÉ)

Half a bead nucleus (soapstone) is attached to oyster. When finish, pearl is removed and filled with wax.
*Difficult to distinguish among these three. They are inexpensive and several can grow inside one oyster.

Small, natural pearls measuring 2mm or less.

Less than .01ct. Too small for jewelry use.

Keshi means poppy seed in Japanese. Pearls are accidentally grown in oyster, the are spontaneously formed without nuclei in South Sea Oysters. They can grow quite large.

Akoya Pearls that Mikimoto produces.