--- title: "Compare Pearl Types Side by Side" description: "Compare Akoya, freshwater, South Sea, Tahitian and keshi cultured pearls side by side: mollusk, water, regions, sizes, shapes, colors, growing time and more." canonical_url: "https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/compare-pearl-types/" 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." --- # Compare Pearl Types Side by Side The table below sets the five pearl types in the Learn About Pearls dataset side by side: [Akoya](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#akoya), [freshwater](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#freshwater-cultured-pearl), [South Sea](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#south-sea-cultured-pearl), [Tahitian](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#tahitian-cultured-pearl) and [keshi](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#keshi) [cultured pearls](https://learnaboutpearls.com/glossary/#cultured-pearl). Untick a type or a row to hide it. With JavaScript off, the full table shows. | Feature | [Akoya cultured pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/akoya-pearls/) | [Freshwater cultured pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/freshwater-pearls/) | [Keshi cultured pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/keshi-pearls/) | [South Sea cultured pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/south-sea-pearls/) | [Tahitian cultured pearl](https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/tahitian-pearls/) | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Mollusk | _Pinctada fucata_ (Akoya pearl oyster) [1, 2] | _Hyriopsis cumingii_ (triangle shell mussel) [1, 2, 3, 4] | _Pinctada maxima_, _Pinctada margaritifera cumingii_ and _Pinctada fucata_ (South Sea, black-lipped and Akoya pearl oysters) [1, 5] | _Pinctada maxima_ (silver-lipped pearl oyster and gold-lipped pearl oyster) [1, 5] | _Pinctada margaritifera cumingii_ (black-lipped pearl oyster) [1, 6, 7] | | Water | saltwater [2, 8] | freshwater [1, 7] | saltwater [1] | saltwater [7, 8] | saltwater [7, 8] | | Natural or cultured | cultured [1] | cultured [1] | cultured [1, 9] | cultured [1] | cultured [1, 6] | | Main producing regions | Japan, China and Vietnam [2, 3, 10] | China [3, 7, 10] | wherever South Sea, Tahitian and Akoya cultured pearls are farmed [1] | Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar [1, 5, 7, 10] | French Polynesia [1, 7, 10] | | Typical size | 6–8 mm [3, 8, 10, 11, 12] | 3–15 mm [3, 8] | Not recorded | 9–16 mm [3, 8, 10] | 8–14 mm [3, 8, 10, 13] | | Size range | 2–11 mm [3, 8, 10, 11, 12] | 3–25 mm [3, 8] | under 1 mm to 16 mm (larger ones are very rare) [3, 9] | 8–18 mm [3, 8, 10] | 8–20 mm [3, 8, 10, 13] | | Shapes | round, near-round, semi-baroque and baroque [3, 11] | round, near-round, oval, coin and baroque [3, 8, 14] | baroque, button, oval and drop [1, 15, 16] | round, oval, button, drop, circled and baroque [3, 8] | round, oval, button, drop, circled and baroque [3, 8] | | Natural colors | white and cream [2, 3, 8, 12] | white, cream, pink, peach, orange, lavender and purple [1, 2, 3] | white to yellow and gray to black [1, 16] | white, silver, cream, champagne and golden [3, 7, 17, 18, 19] | gray, greenish gray, black and brown [3, 7, 8] | | Growing time | 6–36 months (typically 10 to 14 months) [3, 10, 11] | 1–5 years (depending on the culture method and mussel) [4, 14, 20] | Not recorded | 1–3 years (two to three years in Australia and the Philippines) [3, 5] | 18–24 months [3, 13] | | Nacre | Bead-cultured, so the nacre covers a shell bead. Akoya nacre is generally thinner than that of South Sea and Tahitian cultured pearls, because the growing period is shorter and the water cooler. [1, 21, 22] | Most are grown from mantle tissue alone, with no bead. Bead-cultured freshwater pearls, such as Edison pearls, have a shell bead at the center. [8, 10, 23] | No bead, and mostly solid nacre. Some South Sea and Tahitian keshi are hollow or contain a lot of organic matter. [1, 5] | Bead-cultured, with the thickest nacre of the bead-cultured types, typically 1.5–3.0 mm. [5, 24] | Bead-cultured, with the bead placed in the gonad. French Polynesia used to require at least 0.8 mm of nacre; since its 2017 pearl law, a nacre check is voluntary. [1, 6, 25] | | Relative price | Generally more expensive than freshwater cultured pearls of similar size and quality (GIA) [2] | The most affordable pearl type (GIA) [2] | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | | Identification notes | X-ray radiography shows the shell bead and lets labs measure the nacre over it. White Akoya are routinely processed after harvest. Bleaching is common, and the pink overtone is very often the result of processing. Bead-cultured freshwater pearls can look much the same. Freshwater pearls contain more manganese and barium and less strontium, a difference labs can measure. [2, 3, 12, 22, 23, 26] | Freshwater pearls contain more manganese and barium and less strontium than saltwater pearls. Labs measure this directly, and through X-ray luminescence, which brightens with manganese. Some bead-cultured freshwater pearls look like Akoya and are sold as "freshwater Akoya", a name GIA calls incorrect. Bleaching, dyeing and optical brightening are common treatments. [1, 2, 9, 23, 26] | X-ray imaging shows organic-rich centers, voids or lines instead of a bead. Some of these features also occur in natural pearls, so a few results are inconclusive. Many are now grown on purpose, and most are thought to form in the gonad, while natural pearls form mainly in the mantle. [5, 15, 16] | X-ray radiography and microtomography show the bead and help separate bead-cultured, non-bead cultured and natural pearls. Golden color can be natural, or produced by heat or dye; labs tell them apart with UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence and photoluminescence. [5, 18, 19, 22, 27] | A reflectance feature near 700 nm is a key sign of the black-lipped oyster; pearls from Pinctada mazatlanica share it. Some are treated, for example bleached to "chocolate" brown or modified to "pistachio" green. French Polynesian law requires treated pearls to be labeled as treated. [6, 28, 29, 30, 31] | ## Where the figures come from Every value in the table comes from the Learn About Pearls dataset, and the numbers in each cell point to that value’s own sources in the list below. The same records fill the type profiles and the comparison pages, so the figures agree across the site. The whole dataset can be downloaded as [CSV](https://learnaboutpearls.com/data/pearl-types.csv) or [JSON](https://learnaboutpearls.com/data/pearl-types.json). ## Reading the table - **Typical size** is the range of sizes most often seen, and **size range** the usual spread. Some types have only one of the two. - **Relative price** never gives a price. It is the source’s own ranking in plain words, with a tier from 1, the lowest, to 5, the highest, where one can be given. - **Not recorded** means the dataset has no sourced value for that type yet. ## More comparisons The [comparison pages](https://learnaboutpearls.com/compare/) set two kinds of pearls against each other in words, such as [Akoya vs freshwater](https://learnaboutpearls.com/compare/akoya-vs-freshwater-pearls/), and the [type profiles](https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/) cover each type in depth. ## References 1. 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) 2. 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) 3. 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) 4. Doug Fiske and Jeremy Shepherd (2007). Continuity and Change in Chinese Freshwater Pearl Culture. 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Trade Alert: "Keshi" cultured pearls are entering the natural pearl trade. [Source](https://www.ssef.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/newsletter_pearl_2010May-1.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261026000024/https://www.ssef.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/newsletter_pearl_2010May-1.pdf) 16. Nishka Vaz, Abeer Al-Alawi and Anukul Belanke (2026). Diverse Range of Organic-Rich Cores in South Sea Non-Bead Cultured "Keshi" Pearls. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2026-organic-rich-cores-in-south-sea-keshi-pearls) · DOI [10.5741/GEMS.62.1.26](https://doi.org/10.5741/GEMS.62.1.26) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261025235759/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2026-organic-rich-cores-in-south-sea-keshi-pearls) 17. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. South Sea Pearl Ring (NMNH G10639). 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[Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2012-cultured-pearls-zhou) · DOI [10.5741/GEMS.48.4.284](https://doi.org/10.5741/GEMS.48.4.284) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260309094817/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2012-cultured-pearls-zhou) 20. 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) 21. Kwanreun Lawanwong, Ravenya Atchalak and Emiko Yazawa (2025). Exceptional Nacre Thickness of Hybrid Akoya Bead Cultured Pearls. 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[Source](https://www.gia.edu/dam/jcr:466bc3fd-eb08-4a26-b59e-aa80ad710bb9/study-improving-surface-appearance-low-quality-Pinctada-maxima-bead-cultured-pearls.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261025235956/https://www.gia.edu/dam/jcr:466bc3fd-eb08-4a26-b59e-aa80ad710bb9/study-improving-surface-appearance-low-quality-Pinctada-maxima-bead-cultured-pearls.pdf) 25. Chambre territoriale des comptes de la Polynésie française (2021). Rapport d'observations définitives : Politique publique en matière des ressources marines (perliculture), exercices 2015 et suivants. [Source](https://www.ccomptes.fr/sites/default/files/2023-10/PFR2021016.pdf) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261026000246/https://www.ccomptes.fr/sites/default/files/2023-10/PFR2021016.pdf) 26. Stefanos Karampelas and others (2019). Chemical Characteristics of Freshwater and Saltwater Natural and Cultured Pearls from Different Bivalves. [Source](https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/9/6/357) · DOI [10.3390/min9060357](https://doi.org/10.3390/min9060357) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20261012102331/https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/9/6/357) 27. Shane Elen (2002). Update on the Identification of Treated "Golden" South Sea Cultured Pearls. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2002-identification-treated-golden-south-sea-pearls-elen) · DOI [10.5741/GEMS.38.2.156](https://doi.org/10.5741/GEMS.38.2.156) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260116222127/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2002-identification-treated-golden-south-sea-pearls-elen) 28. Artitaya Homkrajae (2016). Spectral Characteristics of Pinctada mazatlanica and Pinctada margaritifera Pearl Oyster Species. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2016-gemnews-spectral-characteristics-pinctada-mazatlanica-margaritifera-pearl-oyster-species) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260317034153/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2016-gemnews-spectral-characteristics-pinctada-mazatlanica-margaritifera-pearl-oyster-species) 29. Stefanos Karampelas, Emmanuel Fritsch, Jean-Pierre Gauthier and Thomas Hainschwang (2011). UV-Vis-NIR Reflectance Spectroscopy of Natural-Color Saltwater Cultured Pearls from Pinctada margaritifera. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/doc/UV-VIS-NIR-Reflectance-Spectroscopy-of-Natural-Color-Saltwater-Cultured-Pearls-from-Pinctada-Margaritifera.pdf) · DOI [10.5741/GEMS.47.1.31](https://doi.org/10.5741/GEMS.47.1.31) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260315140441/https://www.gia.edu/doc/UV-VIS-NIR-Reflectance-Spectroscopy-of-Natural-Color-Saltwater-Cultured-Pearls-from-Pinctada-Margaritifera.pdf) 30. Wuyi Wang, Kenneth Scarratt, Akira Hyatt, Andy Hsi-Tien Shen and Matthew Hall (2006). Identification of "Chocolate Pearls" Treated by Ballerina Pearl Co.. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2006-identification-chocolate-pearls-ballerina-co-wang) · DOI [10.5741/GEMS.42.4.222](https://doi.org/10.5741/GEMS.42.4.222) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260411054259/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/winter-2006-identification-chocolate-pearls-ballerina-co-wang) 31. Chunhui Zhou, Joyce Wing Yan Ho, Sally Chan, Jessie Yixin Zhou, Surjit Dillon Wong and Kyaw Soe Moe (2016). Identification of "Pistachio" Colored Pearls Treated by Ballerina Pearl Co.. [Source](https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2016-identification-pistachio-colored-pearls-treated-ballerina-pearl-company) · DOI [10.5741/GEMS.52.1.50](https://doi.org/10.5741/GEMS.52.1.50) · [Archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20260411201433/https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2016-identification-pistachio-colored-pearls-treated-ballerina-pearl-company) **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). _Compare Pearl Types Side by Side_. Learn About Pearls. https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/compare-pearl-types/ **MLA:** “Compare Pearl Types Side by Side.” _Learn About Pearls_, Unique Pearl, November 4, 2026, learnaboutpearls.com/tools/compare-pearl-types/. **Chicago:** Learn About Pearls editors. “Compare Pearl Types Side by Side.” Learn About Pearls. Unique Pearl. Last modified November 4, 2026. https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/compare-pearl-types/. **BibTeX:** `@misc{lap-tools-compare-pearl-types, title = {Compare Pearl Types Side by Side}, author = {{Learn About Pearls editors}}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {\url{https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/compare-pearl-types/}}, note = {Learn About Pearls, published by Unique Pearl}}` Quoting with attribution and a link is welcome. See [how to cite and reuse](https://learnaboutpearls.com/cite/). **Suggest a correction** ## Related pages - [Comparisons](https://learnaboutpearls.com/compare/): Side-by-side comparisons of the main pearl types, and of natural, cultured, saltwater and freshwater pearls. - [Pearl types](https://learnaboutpearls.com/types/): Akoya, freshwater, South Sea, Tahitian and keshi pearls, and where each one comes from. - [Pearl size visualizer](https://learnaboutpearls.com/tools/pearl-size-visualizer/): Pearls drawn at true size, from 1 to 20 mm, with each type's typical sizes.