Whether Domestic or Import, Freshwater Pearls Grow More Popular
When we think of a pearl, we tend to think of a sandy beach somewhere in the South Pacific, a few pearl farmers walking up and down their docks and occasionally breaking open a shell with a luminous pearl inside.
The docks, the farmers, and the luminous pearls may be quite similar, but many popular pearls are actually grown in freshwater farms. Whether it be the range of colors, shapes, or attractive prices, freshwater pearls now constitute a large part of the pearl market.
Except for antiques, most pearls for sale today are cultured pearls. That is, the pearl farmer places a little, irritating particle into the oysters shell to cause the animal to secrete a substance, called nacre, that will form a pearl. The process is the same for both saltwater and freshwater pearls.
American Freshwater Pearls
The first person to successfully cultivate freshwater pearls in the United States was a a man from Tennessee named John R. Latendressee. In the late 1970s, he picked out eight locations to try growing freshwater pearls, and eventually one site, on Kentucky Lake in Camden, Tennessee, proved viable. The farm is still there today and has a showroom selling pearls from $15 to $1,800.
It is a great way to learn about pearl cultivation, as well. If you really, really want to know, they can give you a five-hour guided tour. If you want to know slightly less, there is the lite 1-2 hour tour. They will shuck an oyster for you, and you can clearly see living mussels in a giant aquarium in the gift shop. For a tour, you must schedule ahead of time. Check out http://www.tennesseeriverpearls.com for more details.
Tennessee River Pearls says it is the only freshwater pearl farm in North America. So where do all those other freshwater pearls come from? China, of course.
Chinese Freshwater Pearls
In 1999, the owner of Tennessee River Pearls, speaking at a gemological conference, predicted a new pearl order as Chinese farmers began to improve the quality of their freshwater pearls and consumers began responding positively.
The genesis of Chinas freshwater pearl success began rather inauspiciously in the early 1970s. Until then, Japanese pearls from a single lake had dominated the market, but as pollution slowed down Japanese production, Chinese farms stepped into the void.
Though the first freshwater pearls out of China earned only sneers from jewelers, since then, the quality has skyrocketed, and a diverse range of colors, large size, and fine luster distinguish much of Chinas product.
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