Over the centuries, pearls have been considered a token of beauty and virtue. So, it comes as no surprise that a beautiful set of pearls never goes out of style.

This is perhaps the reason why pearls are one of the smartest jewelry investments for any woman.

Pearls come in various colors, with the most popular ones being cream and white, of course. Pearls can be both classic and contemporary, and they come in numerous fashionable styles.

Millennial celebrities love to wear them, and they can often be found with a pile of pearls around their necks, arms, or even sunglasses.

Speaking of pearls, they can be either natural or cultured. They are created when a mollusk or an oyster makes layers of ‘nacre’ around an intruder inside its shell. All pearls can be classified into two prime types:

• Freshwater pearls. These are pearls that are formed in mollusks in rivers and lakes across the world.
• Saltwater pearls. These are considered special types, and they are created in oysters in the seas and oceans.

For each pearl, the most important thing is the quality of the pearl’s shine, which is dictated by the quality of its nacre.

Make no mistake, the pearl’s luster is essential when discussing each pearl’s beauty and worth.

As the old saying goes, pearls are a girl’s best friend. For that reason, we decided to put some time in, discern the five most exquisite pearls worth having, and help you out with the selection process.

Without further ado, here are the five pearls every woman deserves:

1. Tahitian Pearls

These pearls belong to the category of ‘south pearls’ and find their origin in French Polynesia. The Tahitian pearls grow very big (up to 15 mm), and they come in round or baroque shapes.

On the market, Tahitian pearls are the only type of pearls that come in natural dark colors.

As a contemporary and unique piece of jewelry, Tahitian pearls have become very common amongst pearl lovers.

Because of their unique color and overtones, they stand out far more than any other type of pearls. These pearls are usually dark gray, green, or charcoal with diverse dark overtones.

The most famous overtone is ‘peacock’ with the same specter of colors found in peacock’s feathers and oil spills.

The overtones shimmer through the pearl’s dark color, creating a truly unique appearance that every elegant woman deserves.

2. South Sea Pearls

First things first, South Sea pearls are considered the most prestigious of all types of pearls. As you can tell by the name, they belong in the saltwater pearl category.

Their size ranges from 0,8 mm to 20 mm, and there are two primary colors: gold, and white. The white ones originate mainly in Australia and the golden ones in the Philippines.

While the white ones have the traditional pearl look, the golden ones are a real breathtaker because of their exquisite and exceptional appearance.

Therefore, the South Sea pearls are highly coveted nowadays when modern women are leaning towards a less traditional look of pearls and jewelry in general.

These pearls are also the largest of all pearl types on this list. Their form is usually irregular, and because of that, the ones that come in ideal sphere forms are incredibly costly.

They are considered to be one of the most precious collector’s items among pearl lovers.

3. Akoya Pearls

Last but not least, the most abundant pearls from the saltwater category are the Akoya pearls. Their size varies from a minimum of 2 mm to a maximum of 10 mm.

The majority of them originate in Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam. These are the most renowned types among the pearls in their category and are desired for their classic sheen and beauty.

Akoya pearls were the first type of pearls to be genuinely cultured, starting from the 1920s in Asia.

Before that, pearls were so expensive and rare that only the privileged people could have them. Nowadays, these exquisite pearls are available to everyone, and women worldwide adore them because of their high luster and attractive appearance.

Most Akoya pearls come in perfectly round shapes. They are usually white, cream, or grey with rose, silver, and green overtones.

In some cases, they can be found even in blue color with silver overtone, but these are very rare and quite expensive.

4. Freshwater Pearls

In the pearl’s history, freshwater pearls were considered as an inferior-quality substitute for the Akoya pearls.

However, with the recent developments in freshwater pearl culturing, this type of pearl has become well respected among seasoned pearl collectors.

Freshwater pearls are mostly known and used as fashionable pearls since they provide pearl collectors with far more choices than saltwater pearls in the context of sizes, shapes, and colors.

More than 90% of these pearls come in irregular shapes and don’t form a perfect sphere. This is because they are often made by harvesting.

As a result, the formed pearls are made entirely of nacre, and because of that, they are less prone to cracking or damage.

Their size ranges from 2 mm to 15 mm, and they are mostly white and cream with rose, lavender, and cream overtones. They can also be artificially colored and are found to be black sometimes.

5. Keshi Pearls

Keshi pearls can be both of freshwater and saltwater origin. What is unique about these pearls is their process of creation.

They do not come in a standard shape and are entirely free-formed in appearance. Keshi pearls can be created in many ways, and that’s why their forms are often very unshaped.

They can have long and thin coral shapes, round, oval, and even square-like. Therefore, each Keshi pearl is considered to be one of a kind piece of jewelry.

Most of them are usually very small, and their demand is exceptionally high because their imperfect surface increases their luster.

These are rare because they are not considered real pearls, as they were first discovered due to an accident in the pearl farming process.

Final Words

Pearls are always appropriate. When buying pearls, there’s plenty of choices which is why women eagerly add them to their fashion collections ever since they became relevant.

However, before you make your final decision on buying your next pearl necklace, we recommend you have a defined budget in place, know what you want, and thoroughly search for the best deals.

Pearls are fascinating, and you will have difficulty deciding which unique and beautiful piece you should add next to your collection.