South Sea Pearl

South Sea Pearls come from the silver lipped or golden lipped oyster and are considered the “Queen” of cultured pearls due to their unequalled luster and large size. Both rare and valuable South Sea Pearls start at 10mm and go up to 20mm in size.

Cultivated in the warm waters off Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Burma, South Sea Pearls are produced by the largest and most rare oysters in the world (Pinctada Maxima). The South Sea oyster only exists in a limited number of shell beds found in deep warm tropical seas and requires the most prolonged labor-intensive cultivating process to produce a pearl. These factors, along with their unequalled complex luster and larger size, make the South Sea Pearl the “Queen” of cultured pearls.

Rare and expensive, South Sea Pearls usually start at 10mm in size and go up from there. Much larger than other pearl types, some have been found as large as 30mm. South Sea Pearls are cultivated for longer periods and are known to have much thicker nacre coatings than other pearls, and therefore they will last for generations to come.

The different colors of the South Sea Pearl are dependent on the specific oyster type; White South Sea Pearls are produced by the Silver Lipped Pearl Oyster while Golden South Sea Pearls are produced by the Golden Lipped Pearl Oyster. The most expensive color is a warm pinkish-white due to its rarity but more popular is the silvery-white that is also relatively costly. Yellow-white is also available but is the least popular and tends to sell for much less. Currently in the greatest demand are the fancy intense, truly rich yellows with a wide variety of hues, including golden overtones.

South Sea Pearl shapes include round, semi-round, teardrop, oval, and baroque. As with the other pearl types, perfectly round, along with teardrop as a second, is the best investment grade. Keep in mind that South Sea Pearls are cultivated for longer periods and have much thicker nacre than other pearls. While this provides by far an unparalleled and luxurious deep luster, South Sea Pearls are often less perfectly round and more blemished than their smaller Japanese Akoya cousins. Nonetheless, they are not only very beautiful and expensive, South Sea Pearls generally retain the highest value of all pearl types.

Cultivated in the waters off Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Japan and Thailand, the South Sea Pearl is the most rare and valuable among cultured pearls. The South Sea Pearl typically ranges in size between 10 to 20mm with the average pearl measuring 11 to 14mm. Produced in the rather large oyster Pinctada Maxima, the culturing process of the South Sea Pearl is more extensive as compared to other cultured pearls. The oysters used are a wild species and supply for cultivation is never certain. In addition, the South Sea Pearl oysters are nurtured in isolated bays of the purest waters, far away from industrial areas.

Depending on the variety of the Pinctada Maxima oyster, these exceptionally rare and extraordinary South Sea pearls come in different lustrous colors. The silver lipped oyster produces pearls in the white, silver, aqua, and blue family of overtones, while the gold lipped oyster pearls exude cream, champagne, vanilla, and deeper golden tones. The natural colors of South Sea Pearls are truly rich and beautiful and need no enhancement to bring out their soft satin-like glow.

The legacy of the South Sea Pearl goes back thousands of years when early Australians used oyster shells, along with the pearls found in them, not only as decorations for their tribal costumes but also as currency to trade for food and tools. With the arrival of the European explorers in the 16th and 17th centuries, the South Sea Pearl became a precious global commodity. In high demand by the 18th century, over-harvesting lead to near extinction of the South Sea Pearl producing oyster. By the 1930s strict regulations were imposed to protect the industry and it wasn’t until the 1950s that South Sea Pearl farms began producing harvests of commercial value.