This is largely due to the nature of pearl growth inside the oyster. Regardless of how pearls are formed, whether natural or cultured, most pearls harvested have an average to low quality. Why? Because the beauty and value of a pearl relies on many other factors, such as size, shape, colour, lustre and nacre quality. That’s right! Not all natural pearls are worth more than cultured pearls.
Almost all real pearls you see today are cultured.īut hold on – notice we use the word “potentially”. This is because the occurrence of natural pearls is much rarer than cultured pearls.
Now you can see why natural pearls are potentially more valuable than cultured pearls. Whereas for cultured pearls, the irritant is either a piece of tissue from another oyster or a bead that is placed by pearl farmers to encourage the growth of a pearl. In the case of natural pearls, this external intruder can be a grain of sand or a parasite, and the pearl is formed completely without any human assistance. The only difference between the two lies in the external irritant that causes a pearl to form inside the oyster shell. The pearl formation process is exactly the same for both natural and cultured pearls. They are grown from pearl-bearing oysters in either saltwater or freshwater. In 2018, a large drop natural pearl pendant that belonged to the French Queen Marie Antoinette auctioned at Sotheby’s for a whopping US$32million, more than tripled the previous world auction record in 2011 for La Peregrina, a pearl that once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor.Ĭultured pearls, on the other hand, are much less in price, ranging from just US$50 to over US$165,000.ĭespite their huge price difference, both cultured and natural pearls are real pearls. In 2014, a strand of 53 natural saltwater pearls was sold for US$2.9million. If you’re an avid follower of luxury fashion and jewellery, you probably have noticed some of the spectacular record-breaking prices set by natural pearls in recent auctions. So make sure you check out these easy-to-use steps to ensure you’re buying the real deal. Today, the imitation techniques are getting so sophisticated that some man-made beads can really fool your eyes. Fake pearls made out of glass or plastic are worth literally nothing. The Basic Rule To Buying Pearlsīefore we dive right in, let’s take a quick look at the basic rule when it comes to buying pearls. In this guide we’re going to show you everything you need to ascertain what your pearls are worth. So you may ask, “What makes some pearls worth more than the others?” and “How much are my pearls worth?” In order to answer these questions, you’ll need to understand what determines the value of a pearl and how the price is correlated to different types of pearls. They range in prices from a $100 or less all the way up to thousands and even millions of dollars. There’s no doubt that pearls are one of the most popular and beloved gems in the world.
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