Lavender Pearls
Natural lavender pearls, not dyed. Lavender is the rarest of the natural freshwater body colors and no other pearl produces it at all. Almost everything on this page is our Freshadama grade. Filter by piece, grade and size below.
Choosing a lavender pearl
Four things decide what you get and what it costs.
Where lavender comes from
Only the freshwater mussel makes it. There is no lavender akoya, no lavender South Sea and no lavender Tahitian. If you want a genuinely lavender pearl, freshwater is the entire market and this page is most of what we hold.
How lavender varies
It runs from a soft grey-lilac through to a distinctly purple pearl with a rose or silver overtone. The deeper end is much scarcer than the pale end and prices accordingly. Photographs flatten this more than any other color we sell, so it is worth asking for pictures of the actual pearls.
Freshadama
Our own top grade for freshwater, and most of the lavender here carries it. Almost perfectly round with very high luster. Lavender at this grade is genuinely difficult to assemble, because the color has to agree across the whole strand as well as the size and the surface.
Size and price
Commonly 6 mm to 11 mm and above. Like all freshwater it is nacre nearly all the way through, so a large lavender pearl is affordable in a way the same size never is in a saltwater pearl.
Before you buy
Is the lavender dyed?
No. Everything on this page is the mussel's own color. Natural lavender varies from pearl to pearl rather than sitting uniform across a strand, which is the honest tell and also why a well-matched lavender strand takes so long to put together.
Why does lavender look different in every photograph?
Because it is the hardest pearl color to photograph accurately. Lavender shifts with the light source more than white, pink or black do, and it reads cooler under daylight than under indoor light. Ask us and we will photograph the actual pearls, free and with no obligation, which is the only way to judge it properly.
Who does lavender suit?
It is the most distinctive of the natural freshwater colors and it reads as a deliberate choice rather than a default. It works particularly well in white gold and platinum, which keep the color cool. If you are buying a gift for someone whose taste you are not sure of, pink is the safer pick.
Will the color fade?
Natural body color does not fade the way a dye does. Perfume, hairspray, lotion and sweat are what damage any pearl over time by drying the nacre. Put them on last, wipe them with a soft damp cloth afterwards, and never use an ultrasonic cleaner.
Can you match a set in lavender?
Yes, and ordering the pieces together is the only reliable way to get it. We match the pearls to each other before anything is strung or set, free and without being asked. Matching lavender across separate orders months apart is the hardest matching job we do, because the color range is wide and the stock turns over.
Still deciding?
Our specialists will show you pearls on camera and talk you through what you are looking at. Most appointments run about twenty minutes.
