Are 'Sea Magic by Mikimoto' Seawater or Freshwater?

[MarkKendall]

Hi experts - I'm a newbie interested in pearls and could use your help! I've got a 24" matinee, 6-6.4mm Sea Magic Cultured Pearls. From the little info I can find online about Sea Magic, it looks like some strands were made with saltwater pearls and some were made with freshwater pearls. Is there any way of knowing what I have? Any info you can provide me with would be greatly appreciated! There's very little info out there. -Mark

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Are they 100% round? Not off-round at all? If so they are probably akoyas. Most freshwater strands are not 100% round because the pearls don't have a bead inside.

 

[Andrew M]

Funny enough, I had a chat with KatBran about this the other day - I was positive that these "Distributed by" lines were still all Akoya saltwater pearls, but then like you when I looked some things up I saw references to freshwater pearls.

From a quick search, it seems that they come in both.

There are a few quick ways to tell:

Are any of the pearls in your strand noticeably off-round or egg shaped? This is a big indicator of freshwater pearls. Entirely perfectly round pearls are a better indication of Akoya saltwater pearls.

Also, look at the luster, especially if you have any other pearls available to compare with - if it is a sharper, more defined luster, leans to Akoya pearls, whereas a softer not as metallic appearing luster would lean to freshwater.

Find a white surface and take some photos, and post pictures here, and we can help you out!

 

[MarkKendall]

Are they 100% round? Not off-round at all? If so they are probably akoyas. Most freshwater strands are not 100% round because the pearls don't have a bead inside.

THANK YOU for this tip! These are perfectly round.

 

[MarkKendall]

Andrew, thank you very much for your comment! Your two tips help me a lot. These pearls are all perfectly round. I'm trying to learn about pearls as quickly as possible, but not smart enough to know good luster from great luster.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

They look like akoyas to me.

There are lower luster and higher luster akoyas and there are lower luster and higher luster freshwaters. I don't think the luster of your stand is definitive, but the shape is.

 

[MarkKendall]

They look like akoyas to me.

There are lower luster and higher luster akoyas and there are lower luster and higher luster freshwaters. I don't think the luster of your stand is definitive, but the shape is.

Thank you for your help! Much appreciated. How do you get a good understanding and feel for luster? I assume it comes with the experience of handling many different strands of pearls? Thank you again.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

A pearl with higher luster will show sharper reflections. Under a single light source you will see a higher degree of contrast between the dark circle in the center and the white periphery of the pearl.

Look at these akoya photos if you want to be blown away: The Most Incredible Akoya Pearls I Have Ever Seen

Needless to say, they are gem quality, and you will not see akoyas like that just anywhere. I had a friend who had gem akoyas given to her by her husband-to-be for their wedding.. They were only 4mm but wow did they catch the eye!

 

[MarkKendall]

A pearl with higher luster will show sharper reflections. Under a single light source you will see a higher degree of contrast between the dark circle in the center and the white periphery of the pearl.

Look at these akoya photos if you want to be blown away: The Most Incredible Akoya Pearls I Have Ever Seen

Needless to say, they are gem quality, and you will not see akoyas like that just anywhere. I had a friend who had gem akoyas given to her by her husband-to-be for their wedding.. They were only 4mm but wow did they catch the eye!

Wow. The pictures definitely demonstrate what you're saying. I love learning about pearls and you've taught me something new! Thank you!