Where do South Sea pearls come from? An introduction to the main producing regions

Among pearls, the most valuable are of course South Sea pearls, unmatched in both luster and size. Their colors include silvery white, pink, silver, gold, light gold, rose red and more. Many people of highly refined taste simply adore them. So where do South Sea pearls come from?

South Sea pearl producing regions

South Sea pearls, or South Sea pearls for short, are produced in the South Pacific. Their three main producing regions are the waters off northwestern Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Because Australia is a major producer, they are generally called Australian South Sea pearls.

Types of South Sea pearls

1. South Sea golden pearls

The mother oysters that produce golden pearls are mainly the gold-lipped oyster. These two types of oysters are mainly distributed in Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia and other places, and the pearl nacre they secrete ranges from pale yellow to deep gold.

Their texture is very good, so they are extremely precious. They are among the finest pearls. Because this kind of oyster is very picky about location, it can only be farmed in areas with good air, clear water, suitable water temperature, open bays and rare typhoons, so production is not high.

2. White pearls

South Sea white pearls refer to those produced in Australia, Indonesia and other places, cultivated from the white-lipped oyster and the Pinctada maxima. Because of their huge size, the pearls they cultivate generally have a diameter of 10-15mm, with the largest reaching 18mm.

Unlike the soft, delicate, girlish colors of freshwater pearls and Japanese Akoya pearls, the white body color of South Sea white pearls often carries an iridescent silvery sheen, cool and mysterious.