But there was a time when they were in shorter supply but not really wanted so they were still not very expensive.
Are black pearls expensive.
And the pinctada margaritifera which makes the highly prized tahitian black pearl.
In addition to the body color tahitian pearls can display an amazing range of overtones especially the circle and baroque shapes.
As a result tahitian pearls are rare and expensive to produce.
Tahitian black pearls only come from a certain type of mollusk making its harvest smaller than those of chinese freshwater pearls.
They are versatile gemstones that are cultivated in freshwater as opposed to sea or saltwater.
The green pearl has a tendency to glow in the dark.
And for good reason.
The beautiful single strand necklace comprises of 42 exquisite tahitian saltwater pearls prides on being one of the world s most expensive pearl necklaces after selling for us 5 3 million at sotheby s hong kong.
It is the biggest manmade pearl in the world.
While rarely round the finest freshwater pearls are nearly indistinguishable from more expensive akoya pearls.
Although manufacturers can dye pearls black it takes extremely rare conditions to.
The pinctada fucata which yields the akoya pearls popularized by luxury firm mikimoto.
These are very sensitive oysters which makes their culturing process a hit and miss.
Traditionally freshwater pearls range in size from 6 to 10 mm but recent innovations in freshwater pearl farming have given birth to a new generation of pearls that grow as large as 15 mm.
A natural black pearl is more expensive and mysterious than its classic off white cousins.
Traditionally the most sought after expensive tahitian pearls will have a dark green body color and peacock think oil slick overtones.
It could be blue purple green brown silver but never a true black.
The pinctada maxima which produces the largest most lustrous pearls in the industry and are prized by jewelry collectors as south sea pearls.
Discovered in mongolia this rare and precious pearl is valued at a staggering price of 139 million.
Because black lip oysters can grow to be over a foot in diameter they tend to produce pearls that are very large and therefore very valuable.
In the mid 16th century the pearl was unveiled on the coast of santa margarita a spanish colony in the gulf of panama.
Cultured pearls today come from three types of oysters.
People tend to appreciate and desire these pearls further driving up the prices.
Round freshwater pearls look almost identical to akoya pearls but are less expensive with a strand ranging from 50 to 2 000.
Composed of fluorite this gem was ground into a pearl shape over the course of three years.