What Are Akoya Pearls Worth

Akoya pearls with white body color.

What are akoya pearls worth. Pearls that are blemished or spotted such as the hanadama label are worth half the value compared to their clean strand counterparts. An average akoya pearl is only 7 mm while an average south sea pearl is in the 12 mm range. The longer the better as this allows the pearl to acquire thicker nacre layers. 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.

The akoya pearl oyster is the smallest pearl bearing saltwater oyster currently being used to create pearls today. Why are japanese akoya pearls the highest luster pearls in the world. Baroque pearls are about 25 35 the cost of round pearls. Natural pearls are extremely rare and largely limited to auction and collector s markets.

These can be worth 10 to 20 times an equivalent akoya cultured pearl. Akoya pearls are currently being harvested in sizes from as small as 1 mm up to the very rare 10 11 mm. A classic strand of white pearls can range from 100 mostly the freshwater pearls variety to over 10 000 akoya and south sea pearls. An interesting piece of akoya pearl trivia is that the akoya oyster is the smallest commercially farmed pearl producing oyster.

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. This is the most important information a consumer can learn when buying a fine quality strand of pearls. The first pearls to be cultured early in the 1920s their white color and rosé overtone complement a fair complexion. 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.

Akoya pearls are the specialty of japanese pearl farms. Most pearl jewelry however range from around 100 to 2000. The values provided in this guide are for round cultured pearls. A cultured saltwater akoya pearl is the product of a synthesis between humans and nature.