Extraordinarily rare, naturally beautiful, unmatched in size. Australian South Sea pearls are grown inside the largest and rarest pearl-producing oyster, the Pinctada Maxima. They are highly sought after as the pearls produced are amongst the world's largest and most valuable.
Investing in South Sea Pearls
They may be more expensive than other pearls, but their quality and incredible value make them a good investment.
South Sea pearls are generally much larger than other pearl types and have a unique luster quality – a soft reflection due to the large aragonite platelets that make up the pearl. They also have the thickest average nacre of all cultured pearls. These factors make South Seas both distinctive and valuable.
Each of the colors may be beautiful in their own right, but the most valuable is gold. South Sea pearls are quite large, and they tend to have very thick nacre.
White and Golden South Sea Pearls are widely known as the "queen of gems". Revered for their large, luxuriant sizes, glowing luster and natural, organic white and golden colors …
It's pretty much impossible to tell the difference between a natural and cultured pearl by just looking at its outer appearance. The only way to make absolute certain whether a pearl is natural or not is to perform an x-ray of the internal structure of the pearl.
The richest oyster beds are around the town of Broome, Western Australia, 2000 kilometres north of Perth, 1500 kilometres south of Darwin. South Sea Pearls are often referred to as Broome Pearls or Australian Pearls for this reason.
A Pearl can double in price from one millimeter size to the next. For example a 12mm Perfect South Sea Pearl may be $1,000 and a 13mm Pearl with exactly the same characteristics might be $2,000 the increase in one mm in size literally makes that much difference.
Saltwater pearls are larger than freshwater pearls, and they come in a narrower range of shapes and colors. They are more expensive than freshwater pearls, but they are also more durable and can be worn in the shower and while swimming.
Do not wear pearls when their string is wet. Wet strings stretch and attract dirt, which is hard to remove. Do not hang pearls to dry. Take your pearls off when applying cosmetics, hair spray, and perfume, or when showering or swimming.
A person suffering with tensed mind, indecisiveness, depression and instability in life is advised to wear pearl stone. It pacifies anger, mental inconsistency and helps in strengthening the heart.
Always remove your pearl before swimming or showering and avoid contact with hot water.
Fine South Sea Baroque Pearls are much more valuable and desirable than Baroque Akoya Pearls. Because of the large size difference in the two primary varieties, a South Sea Baroque Pearl is more likely to have a critical mass of lustrous surface.
Gold Pearls
One of the largest and rarest pearls found around the world is Gold in color. They are Golden South Sea pearls, cultured in the Philippine Islands.
Kailis pearls are unlike any other on Earth. Highly sought after, the Australian South Sea pearl is revered as one of the best varieties of pearls in the world. Born from the rare Australian Pinctada Maxima oyster, our Australian South Sea pearls have the thickest nacre and a magnificent lustre, to rival any other.
Size: When other value factors are equal, larger pearls are rarer and more valuable than smaller pearls of the same type. Shape: Round is the most difficult shape to culture, making it the rarest cultured pearl shape and—if all other factors are equal—also generally the most valuable.
If a pearl displays low, soft or chalky luster then the pearl is not nearly as beautiful and is automatically downgraded in value. Hanadama Akoya pearls versus AAA Quality Akoya pearls – the difference in Luster really stands out when comparing these two pearl qualities side-by-side.
The Australian South Sea pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) is the largest and rarest of all pearl oysters and produces the largest and most valuable of all pearls. Operating from ocean-going vessels, teams of divers scour the depths to handpick the solitary Pinctada maxima oysters from the seabed.
South Sea pearls are famous for their high gloss luster. We have four grades of pearl luster: Very High (AAA), High (AA), Medium (A) and Soft (B). This is the quality of the light reflections from the pearl's surface.
Sources and production. South Sea pearls are cultured using a large, white-lipped oyster, hand-selected from the waters of the South Pacific. The oyster is about twice the size of the Akoya pearl oyster and produces much larger pearls.
The Vinegar Test
A real pearl will dissolve in vinegar or show erosion where the vinegar drop meets its surface. This is because of the chemical reaction between the acid in the vinegar and calcium carbonate, the primary chemical that a real pearl is made of.
The perfection and exclusivity that comes with natural pearls are the reason they are so expensive, while freshwater pearls can often be found for under $100. If you're hoping to save money on your next pearl purchase, look for freshwater (also known as cultured) pearls, which can be found for under $100.
Genuine pearls are shinier than fake pearls. You can measure shine in luster, which is the intensity and softness of a pearl's surface, it generally has to do with how bright and clear a pearl looks. Natural pearls have more shine than artificial ones because they're made from natural materials.