The most popular kind of pearl is Akoya which comes mostly from Japan and China. Akoya pearls are naturally white with hues of pink, silver, or cream. These pearls can be dyed black with hues of blue or green. There are also Blue Akoya pearls, they have flashes of pink on them and are baroque in shape, which means they’re not perfectly round.
While Akoya is the most popular, the most common kind of pearl is actually Freshwater. These pearls tend to be cultivated in man-made ponds, mostly from China, Japan, or the U.S. The mussels that make these pearls are much larger than those that make Akoya, so many more freshwater pearls can be made every year. These pearls can be found most commonly in shades of pink, peach, and lavender. While the lower quality version of these pearls will be dyed to all colors of the rainbow.
Sea pearls are the largest type of pearls around and can measure up to 20mm wide. Because these pearls are so large, they take up to three years to grow. These pearls come in two main varieties. The first variety of Sea pearls are White South Sea pearls which have a very satiny color that ranges from a deep cream to a bright white. This pearl comes mainly from Australia. The second variety is Golden South Sea pearls which come from the Philippines and Indonesia. These pearls range in color from pale champagne to deep gold, with the latter being very rare and sought after.
Tahitian pearls are a naturally occurring black pearl that is mainly from French Polynesia. These pearls can have color sheens of purple, silver, copper, brown, green, and more. Tahitian pearls can be round or baroque in shape. While they are rare compared to Freshwater or Akoya pearls, there are enough farms in operation today that still make them affordable.