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South Sea pearls are a great addition to anyone’s collection. Their warm colors, large size, and thick nacre make them both unique and durable. If you want a gold pearl, South Sea is the way to go! Here’s a little more information about these spectacular pearls.
South Sea pearls are harvested from the pinctada maxima oyster, found throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and are known for their warm overtones and colors that rarely occur in other pearl types. These pearls are mainly produced in Australia, the Phillippines, Indonesia, and Myanmar.
These pearls are among the largest cultured pearls in the world, for reasons that I’ll explain in a minute. You may recall that an average pearl is about 7-8mm with some types, such as Akoya, running a little smaller. South Sea pearls, on the other hand, are somewhere between 9mm-20mm! The smallest South Sea pearl is larger than the average Akoya and the average (at 13mm) is nearly twice as large.
One reason for their incredible size is the size of the oyster itself. Pinctada maxima oysters can grow up to 12 inches in diameter so they can handle a larger nucleus. These pearls are also left to grow for a relatively long time – a minimum of 2 years before being harvested. Finally, the warm and clean waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans are conducive to quick nacre growth so they are able to grow larger, more quickly. This is also a reason for their unusually average nacre thickness of 2-6mm. (For reference, the nacre in Akoyas is usually .35-.7mm thick.)
There are two varieties of the pinctada maxima, gold-lipped and silver-lipped. As the names imply, each type tends to produce either gold or white pearls. As I mentioned earlier, the colors that occur naturally in South Sea pearls tend to be very rare or impossible in other pearl types. These colors include gold, champagne (pale gold), blue with silver overtones, pink, or even pale green, and of course white. South Sea pearls are also known for their soft, satiny luster. The most valuable and sought after color is a deep, warm, gold.
As a consumer, there are several things you should watch out for when you buy these pearls. First of all, many retailers use terminology that is misleading or inaccurate. For example, “Baby South Sea” pearls are not South Sea. They are often freshwaters. Nor are “Tahitian South Sea” pearls South Sea. They are two completely different types of pearls from two different types of oysters! The same goes for “Black South Sea” pearls – those are Taitians because they come from the pinctada margaritifera, or black-lipped, oyster. Please avoid any retailer, on- or offline, that uses those terms. Most likely they either don’t know what they are talking about or are trying to mislead their customers.
South Sea pearls on the whole are the most expensive because they are so large, have so much nacre, and are relatively rare. Their warm and unusual colors and satiny luster make them standout choices for anyone’s pearl necklace.
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