Types of Pearls

Akoya	One of the most familiar type of cultures pearls, they are grown in pearl oysters off the coast of Japan.
Mabe	Large hemispherical cultures pearls grown against the inside of oysters instead of within the body.
Fresh Water	Pearls cultivated in mollusc's, not oysters, found in fresh water lakes and rivers.
Keshi	seedless pearls which form naturally in many cultured pearl oysters in both Akoya and South Sea pearls. They also come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes.

Pearls come in all shapes
Cultured pearls come in a variety of shapes and the following are the most common:

Round	The pearl is perfectly symmetrical.
Semi-Round	The pearl is slightly off round.
Egg	The pearl is an oval shape.
Button	The pearl is a cushion shape.
Semi-Baroque	The pearl’s shape is irregular.
Circled	This is a ringed pearl.
Heavy Baroque	The pearl is irregular in shape with tails.
Mabe	The pearl is a half sphere with one flat surface and comes in a variety of shapes including oval, round, pear and heart etc.

Cultured Pearl Care
Cultured pearls are precious jewels and should be treated as such.

• Don’t toss them carelessly into a purse or jewel box where they may be scratched by hard metal edges or harder stones.
  
• Don’t wear pearls while bathing, in the shower or while playing sport.
• Put your pearls on after applying cosmetics, hairsprays and perfume.
• Before any cleaning is undertaken, seek the advice of your JAA jeweller.
• Have your pearls restrung once a year.
• Have a knot between each pearl which will prevent loss if the string breaks.