There are distinct differences between these two types with saltwater pearls generally considered the superior of the two.
Two kinds of pearls.
The main types of pearls.
The main thing to understand is the different types of pearls and proper pearl maintenance.
A pearl is a hard glistening object produced within the soft tissue specifically the mantle of a living shelled mollusk or another animal such as fossil conulariids just like the shell of a mollusk a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate mainly aragonite or a mixture of aragonite and calcite in minute crystalline form which has deposited in concentric layers.
The history of freshwater pearl cultivation can be traced back to the 13th century when the earliest blister pearls were.
These types of pearls are generally grown in rivers ponds and lakes and predominantly in china.
Those produced in fresh water and those grown in salt water.
Many of these are white and generally resemble the akoya pearl in both size and shape.
Pearl types can generally be divided into two major categories.
Pearl colors the main types of natural south sea pearls are golden and white but due to their unique structure the color of the pearl can vary according to lighting.
Freshwater pearls are commonly grown inside the hyriopsis cumingii mollusc also known as the triangle mussel in rivers lakes or ponds.
However they can be produced in varying shapes and a range of pastel colours.
Size large pearls are extremely rare and with sizes up to 20mm south sea pearls stand out from all the other types of pearls.