A note on freshwater vs. saltwater pearls:
Freshwater pearls are from mussels, whereas
saltwater pearls are from oysters. Freshwater pearls
are cultivated in lakes, rivers and ponds in many
countries and do not require a nucleus for
production. Instead, a tissue graft from the mantel
of the mussel begins the process. This means that
these pearls are almost completely nacre
(nacre is the glossy substance that creates the
beauty associated with pearls), which offers far
more durability versus the cultured saltwater pearl
which is composed primarily of polished shell bead
with an outer layer of nacre.
The Freshwater pearl look remarkably similar to
the Akoya pearl, but Freshwater pearls are available
for almost 1/5 the price of Akoya pearls. The quality of
freshwater pearls has been dramatically improved
lately due to enhanced growing techniques,
and you'll be amazed to see how beautiful our
Akira� Cultured Freshwater Pearls are.
You may select the color and quality of Akira�
pearl you are interested below to see our
various necklace offerings:
