Akoya saltwater pearls are the most popular type of luxury pearl sold today. Akoya pearls are perfect for casual or elegant dress and offer exceptional beauty and value. Akoyans have a consistent and desirable perfectly round shape with overtones in ivory, rosé, and silver. Akoya pearls are unmatched in their perfect roundness, incredible smoothness and sharp luster. Our Akoya pearls are available in sizes ranging from 6.0mm up to the largest possible Akoya pearl of 10.0mm.

Akoya saltwater cultured pearls are primarily produced in China and Japan by the Pinctada Fucata Martensii or Akoya oyster. Other regions including Vietnam and Thailand also produce some Akoya saltwater pearls.

To create a cultured Akoya saltwater pearl the oyster is nucleated with a small and round Mother of Pearl bead into the mantle tissue which encourages the oyster to produce the nacre that wraps around the bead to form a pearl. Nacre is also referred to as Mother of Pearl and is the same shiny substance that you find lining the inside of the shell. An Akoya oyster rarely produces more than one or two pearls at a time. Because the physical size of the Akoya oyster is much smaller than other pearl-bearing mollusks the largest possible Akoya pearls are 10.0mm and are very rare, the average size of harvested Akoya pearls is only 7.0mm.

Because a cultured Akoya pearl is nucleated with a round bead this influences the final shape of the pearls when they are harvested. Akoya pearls are sought after for their perfectly round shape and brilliant luster. Unlike other retailers, Select Pearls does not sell Akoya saltwater pearls below the AA+ quality rating.

As the image above illustrates, the various overtones found in Akoya pearls are very subtle. Overtone does not affect the value of Akoya pearls in either direction. It is important to note that black Akoya pearls are achieved through a dying process. The only naturally occurring black pearls are Tahitians.

Akoya Cultured Pearl Sizes
 


 

PSL HANADAMA CERTIFICATE The image to the left is a numbered certificate that is issued with an Akoya strand that has been certified as Hanadama grade by the PSL. Click for more information.