Yesterday afternoon during our Jubilee, we launched a brand new addition to our collection- an 18” South Sea Pearl necklace and 10-11mm earrings. When we talk about South Sea pearls, we are talking about pearls that are distinct, classic, exotic, rare, bold, and of course- beautiful! These gems are cultured in the plankton-rich waters of Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They are prized for their impressive size, which can reach over 20mm, bright luster, deep orient, vibrant undertones, and sometimes metallic skin. When cultured correctly, it is not uncommon to have pearls reach over 10mm in the first culturing with a 4mm bead nucleus. Combine all of these characteristics, and we have a very rare pearl that has yet to be duplicated in any other species of pearls. However, with 3 distinct areas of culturing, who has the best South Sea pearls in the world? Typically, Australia and the Philippines have the most expensive pearls, but does expensive equate to being the “best” all of the time? If you are a Far East Market shopper, I am going to bet that you are going to say no! Disregarding price, Australian and Filipino pearls feature thick nacre coatings, which give them the characteristics of high grade pearls. These 2 regions are also where some of the industry leaders in South Sea pearl culturing reside, which is evidence enough that the pearls from these areas are gorgeous! Let’s move along to Indonesia’s pearl culturing. Indonesia as we know today is the leader in South Sea pearl production. The pearls cultured in Indonesia have in the past been priced a little bit lower than Australia and The Philippines- due in- part to the larger volume that is cultured in this region. Again, price is not and should not always be the determining factor to purchasing beautiful jewelry! Indonesian pearls feature similar colors and bright luster just as Australian and Filipino pearls do. So what is the big difference? Today, as South Sea pearls gain in popularity (especially the golden South Sea), one thing has become more and more common. Pearls from Indonesia are making their way to Australia and the Philippines and being sold as pearls from those respective regions. This is very similar to Akoya pearls in Japan and China. About 10 years ago, the Chinese Akoya pearl became a viable alternative to the highly regarded Japanese Akoya pearl. Japanese pearl processing techniques are recognized as being the very best for saltwater pearls. Combine this with a less- expensive, but high- quality pearl and you have a match made in Heaven! Japanese pearl processors started going to China to purchase highly graded pearls to process them in Japan to create “Japanese Akoya Pearls.” As a result, today, many Japanese Akoya pearl farmers only culture 8mm plus sized Akoya pearls, leaving the 3.5-8.5mm sizes to Chinese farmers to produce.
Is there a “best” region to culture South Sea pearls? It is all left up for interpretation, as beautiful pearls come from all 3 regions, and high-qaulity pearls can never be guaranteed or cultured in great abundance! However, one thing is for sure, there is no line in the ocean!