---
title: "Where Do Pearls Come From?"
description: "Where pearls come from: the oysters and mussels that grow them, the countries that farm each type, how much each produces, and the old natural pearl fisheries."
canonical_url: "https://learnaboutpearls.com/farming/where-pearls-come-from/"
last_updated: "2026-11-04"
last_reviewed: "2026-10-26"
reviewed_by: "Simon"
publisher: "Unique Pearl"
publisher_disclosure: "Learn About Pearls is published by Unique Pearl, a pearl jeweler."
---
# Where Do Pearls Come From?

**Short answer:** Pearls come from mollusks, mostly pearl oysters in the sea and mussels in fresh water, and today the vast majority are cultured on farms. China grows over 98% of the world's cultured pearls by weight, nearly all freshwater. Japan grows most Akoya, French Polynesia grows Tahitian pearls, and Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar grow most South Sea pearls. Natural pearls came above all from the Persian Gulf and the waters off Sri Lanka.

**Key facts:**

- Cultured pearls are grown mainly in pearl oysters in the sea and in freshwater mussels. [1]
- Cultured pearl production supports industries in more than 30 countries, and China produces the most. [2]
- From 2005 to 2014, China produced over 98% of the world's cultured pearls by weight, 99.5% of them freshwater, but only about 5% of the world's pearl value. [2]
- Japan grows most Akoya cultured pearls, mainly in Nagasaki, Ehime and Mie prefectures. [3]
- South Sea pearls are cultured mainly in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar. [4]
- Tahitian cultured pearls are grown in French Polynesia, whose pearl farms are in the Society, Gambier and Tuamotu archipelagos. [4, 5]
- Natural pearls have been found in the Persian Gulf for at least 5,000 years. [6]

Every pearl, natural or cultured, grows inside a living [mollusk](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#mollusk), and the vast majority of pearls sold today are [cultured pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#cultured-pearl) from farms. [6] Where pearls come from is really two questions: which animals grow them, and where those animals are farmed.

## The animals that grow pearls

Almost any mollusk can produce a pearl-like object, but a scientific review of pearl production limits the ones of value as gems to species that secrete [nacre](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#nacre). [2] Cultured pearls are grown mainly in [pearl oysters](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#pearl-oyster) in the sea, the [Akoya](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#akoya) oyster, the silver- or gold-lipped oyster and the black-lipped oyster, and in fresh water in the triangle shell mussel, with abalone used too. [1] The page [pearl-producing mollusks](https://learnaboutpearls.com/science/pearl-producing-mollusks/) describes them.

Other mollusks make pearls as well. Clam, conch, Melo and [scallop pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#scallop-pearl), for example, are [natural pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#natural-pearl) without a nacreous surface. [4]

## Where each type is farmed

Pearl farms need clean water. GIA notes that pearl-bearing mollusks fail to thrive in polluted waters, so farms are usually far from towns and cities. [6] The table gives the mollusk and the main producing regions for each type in the Learn About Pearls dataset, and the [pearl regions map](https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/pearl-producing-regions-map/) shows them on a map.

| Feature                | Akoya cultured pearl                           | Freshwater cultured pearl                                  | South Sea cultured pearl                                                             | Tahitian cultured pearl                                                    |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Mollusk                | _Pinctada fucata_ (Akoya pearl oyster) [4, 7] | _Hyriopsis cumingii_ (triangle shell mussel) [4, 7, 8, 9] | _Pinctada maxima_ (silver-lipped pearl oyster and gold-lipped pearl oyster) [4, 10] | _Pinctada margaritifera cumingii_ (black-lipped pearl oyster) [4, 11, 12] |
| Main producing regions | Japan, China and Vietnam [3, 7, 8]            | China [3, 8, 12]                                          | Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar [3, 4, 10, 12]                    | French Polynesia [3, 4, 12]                                               |

- **Akoya:** Japan grows most, mainly in Nagasaki, Ehime and Mie prefectures, with smaller amounts from China and Vietnam and a little from South Korea. [3] In China, Akoya farms are mainly along the southern coasts of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. [6]
- **[Freshwater pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#freshwater-cultured-pearl):** China is the leading source, [12] and most are grown in lakes and ponds in Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces. [8]
- **[South Sea pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#south-sea-cultured-pearl):** they are cultured mainly in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar. [4] Australia is the largest producer of white South Sea pearls, and Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines are major producers of golden ones. [10]
- **[Tahitian pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#tahitian-cultured-pearl):** they come from French Polynesia, whose farms are in the Society, Gambier and Tuamotu archipelagos. [5] The same oyster is farmed in the Cook Islands, Okinawa and other Pacific islands, [8] but under CIBJO’s rules only pearls grown in French Polynesia may be called Tahitian. [4]

Pearl farming reaches well beyond these countries. Cultured pearl production supports industries in more than 30 countries, among them Thailand, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka and Mexico. [2]

## How much each country produces

China dominates by weight. From 2005 to 2014 it produced an average of 3,540 tonnes of pearls a year, over 98% of the world’s cultured pearl output, and 99.5% of its output was freshwater pearls. [2]

By value the picture changes. Because freshwater pearls sell for much less, China’s share of the world’s pearl value was only about 5%. [2] Over the same years Japan grew an average of 23 tonnes of [saltwater pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#saltwater-pearl) a year, China 18.6 tonnes and French Polynesia 12.9 tonnes, and Japan alone accounted for 51.6% of the world’s pearl output by value. [2] Since 2021, after a mass die-off of oysters, Japan’s pearl farms have produced about 12 tonnes a year. [3]

## Where natural pearls come from

For most of history, all pearls were natural. Until Columbus reached the Americas in 1492, some of the outstanding sources were the Persian Gulf, the waters of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, the rivers and lakes of China, and the rivers of Europe. [13] Natural pearls have been found in the Persian Gulf for at least 5,000 years, divers have brought them up from the Red Sea since 300 BCE, and the Strait of Mannar has yielded them since 2000 BCE. [6]

From the 16th century, under Spanish colonial rule, large quantities of pearls came from the waters off Mexico, Central America and what is now Venezuela, but only small quantities are found in any of these areas today. [6] From 1850 to 1930, the Persian Gulf may have supplied 70% to 80% of the world’s natural pearls. [14]

Natural pearls are still found. CIBJO’s retailers’ guide says most natural freshwater pearls on sale today come from the United States, as a by-product of mussels collected to make beads for pearl culture, and that natural freshwater pearls are also found in rivers across Europe, the UK and Ireland. [1] They remain rare: hundreds of oysters or mussels must be opened to find even one. [2] The [natural pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/natural-pearls/) section tells their story, and [ethics and sustainability](https://learnaboutpearls.com/farming/are-pearls-ethical-and-sustainable/) covers what fishing and farming do to wild stocks.

## Questions people ask

### Which country produces the most pearls?

China, by far, by weight. From 2005 to 2014 it produced an average of 3,540 tonnes of pearls a year, over 98% of the world's cultured pearl output, almost all freshwater. By value it is different, since freshwater pearls sell for much less, and Japan accounted for 51.6% of the world's pearl output by value over the same years. [2]

### Where do Akoya pearls come from?

Mostly Japan, whose main producing prefectures are Nagasaki, Ehime and Mie, with smaller amounts from China and Vietnam and a little from South Korea. In China, Akoya farms are mainly along the southern coasts of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. [3, 6]

### Where do black pearls come from?

The dark pearls usually called black pearls are mostly Tahitian cultured pearls, grown in the black-lipped pearl oyster in French Polynesia. The same oyster is farmed in the Cook Islands, Okinawa and other Pacific islands, but under CIBJO's rules only pearls grown in French Polynesia may be called Tahitian. [4, 8, 12]

### Do pearls come from clams?

Some do, but they are a different kind of pearl. CIBJO describes clam pearls as natural pearls from hard-shell and giant clams, and counts them among the pearls without a nacreous surface. Most pearls sold as jewelry are cultured, in pearl oysters or freshwater mussels. [1, 4]

### Where do natural pearls come from today?

Only in small quantities from the old fisheries. GIA notes that only small quantities of pearls are found today off Mexico, Central America and Venezuela, where large quantities were once recovered. CIBJO's retailers' guide says most natural freshwater pearls on sale today come from the United States, as a by-product of mussels collected to make beads for pearl culture. [1, 6]

## References

1. CIBJO, The World Jewellery Confederation (2021). CIBJO Retailers' Reference Guide: Pearls. [Source](https://cibjo.org/rrg/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CIBJO%20RRG%20%28Pearls%29.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261025235321/https://cibjo.org/rrg/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CIBJO%20RRG%20\(Pearls\).pdf)
2. Changbo Zhu, Paul C. Southgate and Ting Li (2019). Production of Pearls. [Source](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-96776-9_5) · DOI [10.1007/978-3-319-96776-9_5](https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96776-9_5) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20240129152149/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-96776-9_5)
3. Fisheries Agency of Japan (水産庁) (2026). 真珠養殖をめぐる情勢について (On the situation of pearl culture). [Source](https://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/saibai/attach/pdf/shinju-60.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261026000052/https://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/saibai/attach/pdf/shinju-60.pdf)
4. CIBJO, The World Jewellery Confederation, Pearl Commission (2026). The CIBJO Pearl Book (Pearl Blue Book) 2026. [Source](https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Pearl-Blue-Book-2026-.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261025235254/https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Pearl-Blue-Book-2026-.pdf)
5. Oïhana Latchere and others (2018). Influence of water temperature and food on the last stages of cultured pearl mineralization from the black-lip pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera. [Source](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0193863) · DOI [10.1371/journal.pone.0193863](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193863) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260905233729/https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0193863)
6. Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Birthstones. June Birthstones. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/birthstones/june-birthstones) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260614074112/https://www.gia.edu/birthstones/june-birthstones)
7. Phoebe Shang (2026). Freshwater Akoyas – A Trending Misnomer for Certain Freshwater Pearls. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/freshwater-akoyas-a-trending-misnomer-for-certain-pearls) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260617073835/https://www.gia.edu/freshwater-akoyas-a-trending-misnomer-for-certain-pearls)
8. CIBJO Pearl Commission (2025). CIBJO Guides Describing and Classifying Natural and Cultured Pearls, the Producing Molluscs & Responsible Pearling. [Source](https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Final-Guide-October-2025-v2-COMPRESSED.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260212155210/https://cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Final-Guide-October-2025-v2-COMPRESSED.pdf)
9. Doug Fiske and Jeremy Shepherd (2007). Continuity and Change in Chinese Freshwater Pearl Culture. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/dam/migrated-assets/docs/doc1/Continuity-and-Change-in-Chinese-Freshwater-Pearl-Culture.pdf) · DOI [10.5741/GEMS.43.2.138](https://doi.org/10.5741/GEMS.43.2.138) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261025235652/https://www.gia.edu/dam/migrated-assets/docs/doc1/Continuity-and-Change-in-Chinese-Freshwater-Pearl-Culture.pdf)
10. Artitaya Homkrajae, Nanthaporn Nilpetploy, Areeya Manustrong, Nicholas Sturman, Kwanreun Lawanwong and Promlikit Kessrapong (2021). Internal Structures of Known Pinctada maxima Pearls: Cultured Pearls from Operated Marine Mollusks. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2021-internal-structures-pinctada-maxima-pearls) · DOI [10.5741/GEMS.57.3.186](https://doi.org/10.5741/GEMS.57.3.186) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260420034834/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2021-internal-structures-pinctada-maxima-pearls)
11. Assemblée de la Polynésie française (Journal officiel de la Polynésie française) (2017). Loi du pays n° 2017-16 du 18 juillet 2017 réglementant les activités professionnelles liées à la production et la commercialisation des produits perliers et nacriers en Polynésie française. [Source](https://www.ressources-marines.gov.pf/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2017/10/Loi-du-Pays-n%C2%B0-2017-16-du-18_07_2017-Activit%C3%A9s-professionnelles-perli.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261026000126/https://www.ressources-marines.gov.pf/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2017/10/Loi-du-Pays-n%C2%B0-2017-16-du-18_07_2017-Activit%C3%A9s-professionnelles-perli.pdf)
12. Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Gem Encyclopedia. Pearl Description. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/pearl-description) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261017085317/https://www.gia.edu/pearl-description)
13. Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Gem Encyclopedia. Pearl History and Lore. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/pearl-history-lore) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260612145202/https://www.gia.edu/pearl-history-lore)
14. GIA staff (2025). Converge 2025 Speaker Presentations. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2025-gemnews-converge-speakers) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261025235910/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2025-gemnews-converge-speakers)

**Written by:** Learn About Pearls editors

**Fact-checked:** Learn About Pearls editors, October 26, 2026

**Reviewed by:** Simon, October 26, 2026

**First published:** November 4, 2026

**Publisher:** [Unique Pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/about/), a pearl jeweler

**Revision history**

1. November 4, 2026: First published. First published

**How to cite this page**

**APA:** Learn About Pearls editors. (2026). _Where Do Pearls Come From?_ Learn About Pearls. https://learnaboutpearls.com/farming/where-pearls-come-from/

**MLA:** “Where Do Pearls Come From?” _Learn About Pearls_, Unique Pearl, November 4, 2026, learnaboutpearls.com/farming/where-pearls-come-from/.

**Chicago:** Learn About Pearls editors. “Where Do Pearls Come From?” Learn About Pearls. Unique Pearl. Last modified November 4, 2026. https://learnaboutpearls.com/farming/where-pearls-come-from/.

**BibTeX:** `@misc{lap-farming-where-pearls-come-from, title = {Where Do Pearls Come From?}, author = {{Learn About Pearls editors}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {\url{https://learnaboutpearls.com/farming/where-pearls-come-from/}}, note = {Learn About Pearls, published by Unique Pearl}}`

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## Related pages

- [Farming](https://learnaboutpearls.com/farming/): How cultured pearls are farmed, from the oysters and mussels to the harvest.
- [Pearl types](https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/): Akoya, freshwater, South Sea, Tahitian and keshi pearls, and where each one comes from.
- [Natural pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/natural-pearls/): Pearls that formed with no human help, why they are rare, and how labs confirm them.