The nature colors of pearls

Pearls come in a wide variety of colors, ranging from white all the way to black. The natural color of a pearl results from a combination of several factors:
1. Body Color The predominant basic color of the pearl.

2.Overtone The one or more colors that overlie the body color. On black pearls these colors are usually easiest to see in the lighter areas of the pearl. On white pearls they are easier to see in the darker areas.

3.Iridescence A play of lustrous colors. They may be like those of the rainbow, or they may be a subtle combination of colors such as pink, blue, green and silver. The colors of the pearls change when you move them in your hand.


Akoya and Freshwater Pearl Colors

Naturally black Akoya pearls(saltwater) or freshwater pearls do not exist in nature, and these fancy colors are artificially infused by treatments such as dying, or by subjecting the pearls to irradiation. Some bright gold south-sea pearls and Tahitian "chocolate pearls" are created using a bleaching process, combined with heating.


South Sea Pearl colors

The color of South Sea pearls varies depending on which oyster the pearl comes from. The oyster in Northern Australia is silver-lip oyster which tends to produce white south sea pearls with silver overtone.


The gold-lip oyster which is commonly found in sea area of south-east Asia, round Indonesia, Thailand and Philippine produces yellow or creamy South Sea Pearl.


Among those colorful south sea pearls, white, pink and golden South Sea Pearls are most valuable. Creamy one is for a lower price. For their overtone, silver, pink overtone can be more valued than overtone of bluish-gray or green.


Pearl Color Treatments

Some commercially available pearls are bleached, dyed or irradiated to obtain their color. Misidentifying so- called "black pearls" as true Tahitian Pearls, and not as "treated pearls" can be a deceptive marketing practice as only pearls from the Black Lip Oyster can be a natural black color.