Pearl Guide

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saltwater pearl: Natural or cultured pearl produced by a saltwater mollusk.

sand pearls: One of four Saxony quality factors used to describe natural German river pearls; sand pearls are of low quality. Also see: light pearls (highest quality), half-light pearls (high quality), and rotten pearls (lowest quality).

sautoir: Pearl strand longer than 36 inches (90 cm).

Saxon pearl necklace...

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Tahitian cultured pearl: Produced by a black-lip mollusk (Pinctada margaritifera) in French Polynesia.

Tahiti cultured pearl: Produced by a black-lip mollusk (Pinctada margaritifera) in French Polynesia.

Tahiti Black Pearl Promotion Association: Founded in 1994 to promote Tahitian cultured pearls in the United States.

Takara pearl: Imitation pearl made with a mother-of-pearl nucleus...

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Unio: Genus in the Unionidae freshwater mussel family. Several species in the genus produce nacreous pearls.

Underwater platform: Used in French Polynesia as a temporary care station from which mollusks are suspended after implantation of a bead nucleus and donor-mollusk tissue piece.

Uroko: Japanese term for scaly spots on akoya cultured pearls.

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Venezuelan necklace: Legendary strand of pearls owned by Spain's Queen Isabella.

Venus pearls: Natural non-nacreous pearls from the Veneridae family of saltwater mollusks that are often called "Venus clams".

virgin pearl: Historical term for an undrilled or freshly harvested pearl.

Vologne pearl: Natural freshwater pearl from the French province of Lorraine, specifically from the Vologne...

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Wada method: Developed by Dr. Koji Wada of Japan, a method of choosing donor-mollusk mantle tissue to help determine a cultured pearl's color.

wampums: Cylindrical beads made from quahog shells by native Americans and used as jewelry or money.

Wan, Robert: Founder of the Tahiti Perles Company, which became the largest producer of Tahitian cultured pearls.

warm hues: Colors from purplish...

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X-ray testing: A laboratory test used to determine whether a pearl is natural or cultured.