All about Pearls

What are the different kinds of pearl shapes?

November 27, 2006 on 9:16 pm | In Pearls, Jewelry |

Shapes are one of the areas where there is more room for variety. Roundness is always good, but other shapes of pearls are valued as well. Pearl shapes can be divided into three categories: spherical, symmetrical, and baroque.

• Spherical pearls can be either perfectly round or so-called ‘near-round’ pearls. Saltwater cultured pearls, as they are seeded with a round bead to begin with, are much more likely to be perfectly round than freshwater cultured pearls. Perfectly round freshwater pearls are very uncommon, but there are many ‘near-round’ freshwater cultured pearls. Near-round pearls may be slightly flattened or slightly elongated in shape.
• Symmetrical pearls include oval pearls, drop pearls and button pearls. Oval pearls, as their name suggests, are oval in shape and can be particularly stunning when used in a long rope of pearls. Drop pearls are best described as pear shaped or teardrop shaped and are frequently used in earrings. Button pearls are flattened and coin shaped and are also often used in earrings.
• Baroque pearls are pearls that have grown into asymmetrical, irregular shapes. They are usually the least expensive of all pearls, but some people find their unique shapes to have a charm all their own.

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