pearl waeth

This is part one of a two part series on Akoya Pearls at Sale Price.

Akoya pearls are available at sale prices but you do need to be careful and ensure you are actually getting what you pay for.

Many sites online promote akoya pearls at massively reduced prices and many are genuine but how can you know?

First let's look at what an akoya pearl is.

An Akoya Pearl is a Japanese cultivated pearl from the salt water akoya-gai oyster. These are a speciality of Japanese Pearl Farms.

Pearls were first cultivated in the 1920s and are considered a high quality pearl. They are used for necklaces, earrings, pendants and bracelets as well as in rings. Invariably the setting is of a high quality precious metal such as platinum or 18 karat or more white or yellow gold.

Akoya pearls generally have fewer blemishes and flaws than other pearls and they have a beautiful deep luster.

As they are cultivated, akoya pearls will be more round and perfectly shaped than other types of pearls. This makes them ideal for necklaces and bracelets where the shape is very important. Having a number of pearls on one string, it is important that the size and shape match well to provide a good quality necklace or bracelet.

Sometimes you can get akoya pearls at a sale price but it is important to know what are genuine and what are not.