Difference between Akoya and freshwater pearls
Akoya vs freshwater pearls:
Pearls are precious, there is no doubt about it, and anyone would love to have a string of these pretty little glistening things around their necks, adorning their bodies. There are many types of pearls and any pearl enthusiast would have most definitely heard about Akoya and fresh water pearls of which this`article is going to tak bout.
What is Akoya?
The akoya pearl is the sort of pearl which is grown in salt water and is named thus probably because it is cultivated mainly along the coasts of Japan and china. Known for their luster, their rosy, ivory and silvery overtones of color, the akoya pearl is bead nucleated by inserting a piece of mantle tissue and a mother of pearl bead in to the gonad of the akoya oyster. This results in the more rounder shape of the akoya. Akoya pearls also come in blue and yellow colors.
What is fresh water pearl?
The freshwater pearl is usually cultivated in lakes and ponds and they come in all sorts of pastel colors of which white, lilac and peach are they most prominent. Freshwater pearls are mantle nucleated by the insertion of mantle tissue directly being inserted in to the mantle of the freshwater mussel. The freshwater pearl is known for its durability and boasts of a thicker coating of nacre as well.
What is the difference between the freshwater pearl and Akoya?
The difference of the price of these two types is most notable as the freshwater pearl costs much les than the akoya. This is due to the fact that the freshwater pearl is much easier to cultivate with an easier nucleation process and also because of the fact that it also has a higher nucleation rate per oyster. The akoya oyster on the other hand faces a high mortality rate as they have to face the tides and the typhoons and also because the nucleation process is rather complicated than that of the freshwater oyster.
While the akoya pearl is bead nucleated, the freshwater pearl is mantle nucleated. A mother of pearl bead along with a piece of mantle is inserted in to the gonad of the akoya oyster whereas a piece of mantle alone is inserted in to the freshwater mussel. This is the reason that akoya pearls are more round in color and hence, more elegant.
Elegance aside, the freshwater pearl is more durable than the akoya pearl. And yet, the akoya pearl is known for its brilliance and its whiteness with silvery, rosy and ivory overtones wheras the freshwater pearls come in all sorts of pastel colours. And yet, while the akoya pearl is known for its luster and its brilliant shine which is not found on freshwater pearls, the freshwater pearl boasts of a rainbow like iridescence on it which is not found on akoya pearls either.
Summary
|
