Discover the world of the freshwater pearl
They are not formed deep down in the bedrock and polished out of a crystal. They grow slowly inside a living mussel, layer by layer, until something that was once almost invisible has become a pearl.
Freshwater pearls have been worn and cherished for centuries. Today, they come in everything from classically round shapes to organic baroque pearls and shimmering keshi pearls – and behind them lies a history that stretches from early Chinese experiments with pearl cultivation to today's advanced farming techniques.
WHAT IS A FRESHWATER PEARL?
Freshwater pearls are formed in mussels that live in freshwater, primarily in lakes and ponds. Almost all freshwater pearls used in jewelry today are cultured pearls.
This means that humans help initiate the pearl formation by inserting tissue – and in some modern cultivation methods, a nucleus as well – into the mussel. The mussel reacts by forming a pearl sac and depositing nacre around it.
Layer by layer, the pearl emerges.
It is therefore the mussel itself that creates the nacre, the luster, and the pearl's final expression.
WHERE DO TODAY'S FRESHWATER PEARLS COME FROM?
When we talk about freshwater pearls on today's international jewelry market, the tracks lead primarily to China.
China is currently the dominant producer of cultured freshwater pearls. Among the important farming regions are provinces such as Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi.
At the same time, this does not mean that the history of the freshwater pearl begins where today's large-scale production is located.
As early as the 13th century, there is documentation of Chinese attempts to produce blister pearls and shapes using freshwater mussels. Many hundreds of years later, Japan became an important part of the development. In 1935, Masao Fujita succeeded in establishing commercial freshwater pearl cultivation in Lake Biwa in Japan. The famous Biwa pearls would later become known for their shapes, colors, and luster.
During the 1970s, Chinese production grew rapidly. The early Chinese pearls were often small and heavily irregular, and in the trade, they were nicknamed "rice pearls" or "rice krispie pearls."
Since then, the development has been enormous.
New mussel species, selective breeding, and improved techniques have made it possible to produce significantly larger, rounder, and more high-luster shimmering freshwater pearls. Today's finest specimens can therefore look completely different from the freshwater pearls that dominated the market a few decades ago.
HOW DOES A FRESHWATER PEARL GROW?
There is a common misconception here.
The story of a grain of sand that happens to end up in a mussel and eventually becomes a pearl is beautiful – but it does not describe how most pearls in today's jewelry are produced.
A natural pearl occurs without human influence when a biological process starts inside the mollusk.
A cultured pearl, on the other hand, begins through human intervention. A small piece of mantle tissue from a donor mussel is inserted into the host mussel. In some modern methods, a pearl nucleus is also used.
After that, the mussel does the rest.
Around the new center, a pearl sac is formed and nacre is deposited during the continued growth. The process can take several years.
WHY ARE FRESHWATER PEARLS SO DIFFERENT?
That is part of their charm.
A pearl is created through a biological process, and therefore the result is never completely identical from pearl to pearl.
Freshwater pearls occur as round, near-round, oval, teardrop-shaped, and baroque shapes – and in a multitude of organic variations in between.
Even the surface can bear small irregularities, rings, and textures. On a baroque pearl, these very variations can be what give the pearl its character.
Two pearls can belong together.
They never need to be exactly the same.
That is precisely the thought we start from when we design at HerMine's – that a pearl does not need to be perfectly round to be beautiful, just authentic in its own expression.
FRESHWATER OR SALTWATER – WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
The difference is primarily about where and in which mollusk the pearl has grown, rather than whether one is "real" and the other is not.
Both cultured saltwater pearls and cultured freshwater pearls are real pearls.
Akoya, Tahiti, and South Sea are well-known types of cultured saltwater pearls. Freshwater pearls, on the other hand, are cultivated in freshwater mussels.
Traditionally, the Akoya pearl has been associated with a very round shape and a strong, almost mirror-like luster, while freshwater pearls have been known for their greater variation in shape and color.
That boundary has become significantly less clear.
Modern cultivation can today create round freshwater pearls with impressive luster. Some modern bead-nucleated freshwater pearls can even resemble Akoya so much that the GIA in 2026 addressed the misleading term "freshwater Akoya."
They are still freshwater pearls – and their beauty needs no other name.
WHAT DETERMINES A PEARL'S QUALITY?
The fact that a pearl is round does not automatically mean it is of high quality.
The Gemological Institute of America assesses pearls based on seven factors:
- size
- shape
- color
- luster
- surface
- nacre quality and – when several pearls are used together
- how well they match each other.
The luster is particularly fascinating.
The light reflects both from the pearl's surface and from the structure of the nacre layers. It is this interplay with light that creates the pearl's characteristic glow.
Therefore, a beautifully shimmering baroque pearl can be far more expressive than a perfectly round pearl with weak luster.
Perfection is simply not always the same thing as beauty.
HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT A FRESHWATER PEARL IS GENUINE?
Small irregularities, luster, and variations can provide clues.
A simple way to test at home is the so-called "tooth test": rub the pearl very lightly against your front tooth. If the surface feels a bit grainy or sandy, it is a sign of a genuine pearl, while a completely smooth, almost slippery surface often indicates an imitation in plastic or glass. This is of course no scientific proof, but a simple way to get a first impression.
Modern cultivation techniques can produce very even, round freshwater pearls, and some can visually resemble saltwater pearls.
When a reliable gemological identification is needed, X-ray examinations are used, among other things, to study the pearl's internal structure and distinguish between natural, tissue-nucleated, bead-nucleated pearls, and fake plastic or glass pearls.
For those of us who wear pearls, it is often the small individual traits that make them so beautiful.
A genuine pearl does not need to be perfect.
HOW DO YOU TAKE CARE OF FRESHWATER PEARLS?
Pearls are softer than many gemstones and deserve some care.
Perfume, hairspray, cosmetics, acids, and strong chemicals can affect the pearl's surface. Therefore, it is best to put on pearl jewelry after perfume and cosmetics and carefully wipe the pearls with a very soft, clean cloth after use.
Store them separately from harder jewelry that can scratch the surface.
Ultrasonic and steam cleaning should be avoided. If necessary, pearls can be cleaned gently with lukewarm water and mild soap.
With proper care, a piece of pearl jewelry can accompany you for a very long time – whether it is a necklace, a pair of earrings, or cufflinks worn every day.
ARE FRESHWATER PEARLS A SUSTAINABLE CHOICE?
Pearls have an unusually close relationship to the environment where they are created.
A healthy mussel and a functioning water ecosystem are prerequisites for cultivating high-quality pearls. Therefore, there is also a natural interest within pearl farming to preserve good water quality.
However, freshwater pearls should not generally be described as eco-friendly solely because they come from freshwater.
The cultivation's environmental impact depends on, among other things, production method, aquaculture, fertilization, farming intensity, and how the water environment is managed. Studies of traditional Chinese pearl farming have, for example, shown that high nutrient loading in farming ponds can contribute to degraded water quality and algal blooms.
For us, transparency is more beautiful than simple promises.
NOT JUST FOR NECKLACES – PEARLS AS UNISEX JEWELRY
Pearls are often associated with necklaces and earrings, but they have long been worn by all genders. As early as the 17th and 18th centuries, European courtiers wore pearl-adorned clothing and accessories as a status symbol, and today the pearl is back as a conscious choice in men's and unisex jewelry – often in the exact combination you see here: a straight, matte-brushed surface in silver against a soft, pink luster.
It is that contrast – hard meets soft, strict meets organic – that makes the pearl such a flexible material. It feels just as at home in a pair of cufflinks as in a delicate necklace.
WHY WE LOVE PEARLS
The pearl has changed throughout history.
From an extremely rare natural treasure that was once reserved for society's richest, to today's cultured pearls that have made the material accessible – and sustainable – for far more people.
The fascination itself has survived: a small change in shape, a soft shimmer, a surface that never becomes exactly the same as the next one.
And right there lies something that feels very HerMine's:
Nature rarely creates two things exactly alike. That is part of its beauty.
© by HerMine’s
