At Pearl Paradise, we carry one of the largest inventories of fine pearl jewelry available anywhere in the world. Our 1,400 cubic-foot vault contains more than 1 million, akoya, freshwater, Tahitian, South Sea and exotic natural pearls. We have pearl jewelry to fit every budget, from under $50 for a pair of pearl earrings to a $100,000 strand of South Sea pearls.
The most affordable variety of pearl is the freshwater pearl. But this does not mean freshwater pearls cannot be valuable, in fact, they are considered by many to be the best value of all cultured pearls today. Freshwater pearls, unlike saltwater pearls, are grown without a bead nucleus, so they are composed of solid nacre. In other words, freshwater pearls are solid pearls. They are more affordable because the volume of freshwater pearls produced greatly exceeds the combined volume of all other pearl varieties.
In relation to cost, the pearl variety one step above freshwater is the akoya. Akoya pearls are considered the classic choice of all pearl types. They have been successfully grown and commercially marketed for nearly 100 years. Akoya pearls were once considered very expensive, but over the past decade, prices have dropped to the lowest level ever, making akoya pearls much more affordable.
Following akoya is the Tahitian pearl. These exotic, naturally-dark pearls from the volcanic atolls of French Polynesia, were once the most expensive variety of pearl on the market. Full strands of round Tahitian pearls once sold for more than $100,000. Today, we are able to offer these exotic pearls for under $1000 per strand.
The costliest of all cultured pearl varieties are those grown in the Pinctada maxima, South Sea pearl oyster. These are also the largest variety of pearl, with average sizes ranging from 12 to 15 mm, but growing as large as 20 mm. We are pleased to offer a full line of South Sea pearl strands and finished jewelry at the lowest prices found anywhere.