Freshwater pearl

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Freshwater pearls are pearls from freshwater mussels. They are produced in Japan, China, and the United States, and were formerly produced in Scotland.

A single mussel can produce up to 50 pearls. While saltwater pearl-bearing oysters are nucleated in a small organ known as the gonad, freshwater mussels are nucleated in the actual mantle tissue. Each side of this bivalve can handle up to 25 nucleations at one time. Freshwater pearls are seldom perfectly round or even nearly round. More often than not they are baroque, slugs, or wings. In rare circumstances, perfectly round freshwater pearls are produced. Even more rare are the true gems that have recently been designated as freshadama by the trade. Freshadama pearls are visibly round to perfectly round, and exhibit orient, an exceedingly rare value factor in cultured pearls.

Many pearls, both natural and cultured, have beautiful color and luster. Freshwater pearls are noted for their wide range of color; they can be found in white, silvery white, pink, salmon, red, copper, bronze, brown, lavender, purple, green, blue, cream, and yellow. Although white is the most common color, the most desirable are the pastel pinks, roses, lavenders, and purples. The different colors are a function of the mussel species, genetics, water quality, and the position of the pearl in the shell.