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  Natural vs. CulturedAre cultured pearls “real” pearls? Yes, cultured pearls are authentic pearls. They are made exactly the same way a natural pearl is in that a pearl oyster secretes the same mineral and protein around an irritant. The difference is that in a cultured pearl, the irritant is introduced by man rather than nature. To make a pearl, workers actually surgically implant a piece of tissue in freshwater pearl mussels, or a piece of tissue plus a polished bead (made from the shell of a freshwater mussel) into a marine pearl oyster. Are cultured pearls as valuable as natural pearls? Natural pearls once commanded much higher prices than cultured pearls. Today, however, many cultured pearls can come with quite a hefty price tag. Often natural pearls are imperfect, but the culturing process can create pearls of superior size, color, and shape. back to Fun Facts |
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