Types of Pearls

1. South Sea pearls, like those cultivated by Atlas, are produced by the Pinctada Maxima oyster. They are commonly silver, white or gold in colour and are the largest and most valued of all pearls. The oyster thrives in the warm waters of the South Seas, with Indonesia producing the greatest number of pearls of this type. These are the most beautiful, valuable and sought after pearls in the world.

2. Akoya pearls are produced primarily by the small marine pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata, famous in Japan but distributed widely throughout Asia and Australia. These pearls are small with a thin nacre coating which, like the freshwater pearl, is often treated and coloured after harvest.

3. Freshwater pearls are inexpensively farmed in ponds almost exclusively throughout China. A single mussel can produce up to 5 pearls at once. Freshwater pearls are rarely symmetrical and are often treated to enhance their colour and lustre.

4. Tahitian or Black South Sea pearls come from the Pinctada margaritifera found around the Tahiti archipelago and other South Pacific islands produces different shades of black pearls ranging from reds to greens.