What Are Akoya Pearls Worth

These can be worth 10 to 20 times an equivalent akoya cultured pearl.

What are akoya pearls worth.

An average akoya pearl is only 7 mm while an average south sea pearl is in the 12 mm range. A mother of pearl shell bead nucleus is inserted into the host oyster along with a square of donor mantle tissue from another oyster who has previously borne pearls of high or exceptional value and the oyster is left to begin secreting around the nucleus eventually forming a pearl. The longer the better as this allows the pearl to acquire thicker nacre layers. The akoya pearl oyster is the smallest pearl bearing saltwater oyster currently being used to create pearls today.

This is the most important information a consumer can learn when buying a fine quality strand of pearls. It can only accommodate one or two bead nuclei at a time and after the implantation surgery the pearl is left to grow for a period of 18 months to two years. The first pearls to be cultured early in the 1920s their white color and rosé overtone complement a fair complexion. Natural pearls are extremely rare and largely limited to auction and collector s markets.

An interesting piece of akoya pearl trivia is that the akoya oyster is the smallest commercially farmed pearl producing oyster. Pearls can range in price from a few hundred dollars to a 100 million. Pearls today are receiving as much attention as any other stone and with the renewed interest in pearls you might be wondering how much your pearls are worth. A cultured saltwater akoya pearl is the product of a synthesis between humans and nature.

The values provided in this guide are for round cultured pearls. Akoya pearls with white body color. Most pearl jewelry however range from around 100 to 2000. Akoya pearls are currently being harvested in sizes from as small as 1 mm up to the very rare 10 11 mm.

Why are japanese akoya pearls the highest luster pearls in the world. Pearls that are blemished or spotted such as the hanadama label are worth half the value compared to their clean strand counterparts. Akoya pearls are the specialty of japanese pearl farms. Because akoya pearls are a high quality pearl you ll find them set with gold posts and clasps and you ll find they are well matched for size shape and color.