Freshwater Pearl Necklaces
Freshwater is where pearls come in colors, and every color we sell except black is the color the mollusk grew. Every strand is double-knotted on twin silk and finished with a solid gold clasp, knotted to order in our Los Angeles studio. Choose size, grade and color below.
Choosing a freshwater necklace
Four things decide what a strand looks like on you and what it costs.
Size
Freshwater covers the widest size range we sell, from about 3 mm up past 11 mm. 7.5 to 8.0 mm is the everyday choice. 9.5 mm and up has real presence, and it is where freshwater gives you the most size for the money.
Grade
AA+, AAA and Freshadama. AA+ and AAA look round and wear beautifully, but they are not truly round if you roll them on a table. Freshadama is our own top grade and those are almost perfectly round, with the luster to match.
Color
White, pink to peach, lavender and multicolor are the pearl's own color, straight out of the mussel. Black is the exception and is always dyed. Multicolor strands are those natural colors sorted and laid out to run together.
Strands
Single, double and triple strand. A double or triple is not three times the necklace, it is a different object, and it sits higher and fuller on the neck. Worth looking at if you already own a single.
Before you buy
Are the colors natural?
White, pink, peach and lavender are the pearl's own color, and a multicolor strand is those natural colors sorted and arranged rather than painted on. There are also exotic natural colors such as bronze, gold and deep purple, though those are usually found in the large Edison pearls rather than in a classic strand. Black is the exception. There is no naturally black freshwater pearl, so anything black in freshwater has been dyed, and we say so on the product page rather than leaving you to work it out.
What is Freshadama?
Our own top grade, and the name is ours. AAA freshwater looks round and wears beautifully, but roll a AAA pearl on a table and it will wobble. Freshadama pearls are almost perfectly round, with high luster, clean surfaces and tight matching. It is the grade we would put next to a good akoya strand without apologizing for it.
How is a freshwater pearl different from an akoya?
Mostly in how they are grown. An akoya is grown around a bead. Most freshwater pearls are grown from a small piece of tissue instead, though bead-nucleated freshwater pearls exist too and are becoming more common. What that means in practice is that freshwater reaches sizes and shapes akoya does not, and comes in natural pink, peach and lavender, while akoya gives you the classic round white strand with a particularly sharp luster. They are different pearls rather than better and worse.
Can I choose the length and the clasp?
Yes to both. Every strand is knotted to order, so the listed lengths are a starting point rather than a limit. If you want a 17 inch, a 24 inch or a rope, tell us and we will make it. Clasps are chosen on the product page and we keep a much larger collection than the page shows, in both 14K and 18K. Everything is solid gold, never gold-plated, and any diamonds are natural.
Can I see the exact strand, and can you match other pieces to it?
Ask and we will photograph it, at no cost and with no obligation to buy. Color makes this worth doing on freshwater more than anywhere else, because lavender and peach read differently on a screen than they do on skin. And if you order earrings, a pendant or a bracelet at the same time as the necklace, we match those pearls to the strand before anything is strung or set. You do not have to ask and there is no charge for it.
Still deciding?
Color is the hardest thing to judge on a screen. Book twenty minutes and we will show you strands on camera and tell you honestly how they read.
