Pearl Guide
Golden South Sea
Second only in rarity and value to their white counterparts, golden South Sea pearls are the largest of all pearl varieties, known for their unique soft luster and beautiful champagne to deep gold coloring.
The culturing area for golden South Sea pearls is extremely small, and in conjunction with a development period that spans over two years, the availability of golden South Sea pearls is extremely limited.
Produced by: GOLD LIPPED SOUTH SEA OYSTERS
Golden South Sea pearls are the product of the gold-lipped South Sea oyster, or pinctada maxima, which grows up to 12 inches in diameter and is able to be cultured with a much larger bead than most other pearl types, resulting in relatively large pearls. The oysters are native to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia. The oysters typically can’t be farmed in other areas, which limits their production making them fairly rare and highly valuable.
PEARL SIZE
South Sea pearls are the largest pearl variety, with sizes ranging from 8mm to 20mm. While the spectrum of sizes is quite wide, the pearls are typically between 10 and 13mm.
PEARL COLOR
The most valuable Golden South Sea pearls have a deep golden color, though lighter hues in yellow and champagne are common. South Sea pearls are known for their warm luster; a result of thick nacre layers being deposited quickly due to the warm South Sea environment.
PEARL OF WISDOM
It’s very rare for Golden South Sea pearls to be perfectly round—they’re more often drop, button, baroque, and circle shaped.
