Newbie Back for More! :-) Are these Round Stud Pearls Cultured or SS? How do I know??

[Tradersuz]

Hello again! Just when I thought I had "Got It" with telling Cultured Pearls and Sizes, I forgot to ask about some small 5mm round Stud Earrings I have.
They LOOK Lustrous, but are they just "common" Cultured pearls? Or are ALL round pearls considered South Seas? Can South Seas also be Cultured?
I THINK it says 14kt on the stem, but it's so hard to read! Thank you for your time! And this site is Fabulous, by the way!
HELP! I'm Dizzy!

 

[Blossy]

Practically all pearls are cultured, meaning they are farmed and aren't just a happy natural accident!

At 5mm these wouldn't be South Sea, they tend to be biggies. They are nice and round so they might be Akoyas, but to me they have a softer lustre so I'm guessing they are small freshwaters.

No doubt others here can ID them better than I can.

They look nice.

 

[KarinK]

Hi,

All pearls, unless cocrectly called 'natural' or irregular keshis, are cultured. This goes for freshwater pearls and saltwater pearls: Tahitian, South Sea, and akoya.

Akoya pearls are gorwn in colder sea water. Thus they grow more slowly than South Sea pearls. The nacre is 'tighter' because of this and the pearls have a higher luster. South Sea pearls are known both for their satiny luster and larger size, akoya for their very shiny look and smaller size. I believe I have heard of SSP as small as 8 mm but that does not happen often. That size would be called baby-SSP, but be aware that this term is often used for freshwater pearls by sellers trying to trick the buyer into thinking they're looking at SSP.

Akoya are very expensive in 9 mm as the nacre grows so slowly. Pearls smaller than 8-9 mm. with high luster wil be either good freshwater pearls (within resent years) or akoya pearls.

Your studs look like akoya. They cannot possibly be SSP and very few people own anything but cultured pearls.

- Karin

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I think they are cultured akoyas too. They are very round (bead inside), rounder than most fwp would be.

Also it seems that most fwp are a bit larger than 5mm, and cultured ssp are much larger.

Despite the fact that freshwater, south sea and Tahitian pearls are also cultured, most salespeople seem to use the term "cultured pearls" to refer only to akoyas. I find a lot of salespeople don't know much about pearls.