South Seas Pearls Education

South Sea Pearls are what you envision when you are thinking of pearls. Queen Elizabeth I wore long ropes of them and had them embroidered onto her clothes, but they have been representative of purity and beauty for ages even before that. These exquisite natural wonders truly evoke the very essence of natural, unblemished beauty and are a magical addition to any jewelry collection.

Formation of South Sea Pearls

Cultured from the large Pinctada Maxima oyster, which gives these beauties their large size, most Maui Divers Jewelry's pearls are grown in the tropical and semi-tropical South Seas. Created by implanting a Mother of Pearl bead in the mollusk's mantle, each cultured pearl derives its unique color from the "lips" of the oyster. So Golden South Sea pearls come from gold lipped oysters, white from white lipped oysters and so on.

Luster of South Sea Pearls

The luster of South Sea Pearls is a softer, satiny look as compared to something like Akoya pearls. This somewhat muted luster doesn't share the same shine as other pearls, but makes up for it with a rich, textured color that other pearls lack. Golden South Sea pearls offer a lustrous glow that cannot be replicated on any other item in the world. Shimmering White South Sea Pearls offer a purity of form and beauty rarely created by anything in the world let alone a piece from your jewelry box. These exquisite cultured pearls are unlike anything else you'll own and are truly wonderful to behold.

The Colors of South Sea Pearls

At Maui Divers Jewelry we have a range of South Sea Pearl colors from shining gold and silver hues to brilliant whites and creams. The colors come from a range of sources, including the mollusk itself as mentioned above, with each color rivaling the next for the most beautiful pearl on your necklace. The beautiful South Sea pearls can be purchased as a mixed set, all white or all gold.

Size of South Sea Pearls

Most of our South Sea Pearls range from 10 to 18mm, although any gem above 15mm starts to become much rarer than their smaller counterparts. They are one of the largest variety of pearls (the mollusks in which they are formed can grow to be as large as dinner plates) although the size of a particular mollusk doesn't necessarily correlate to the size of the pearl it creates.

Shape of South Sea Pearls

Maui Divers Jewelry sells a variety of pieces featuring numerous shapes of South Sea Pearls including round, semi-round and drop shaped pearls. These different shapes are formed by friction within the oyster itself with completely round pearls being the rarest of the bunch. But that is not to say that the other shapes are lacking in any way, with drop shaped pearls forming gorgeous South Sea Pearl pendants and earrings, and semi-round pearls making the perfect South Sea Pearl ring for your collection.

Cleaning and Care Tips for South Sea Pearls

Cleaning and caring for your South Sea Pearls is as simple as caring for anything else in your jewelry box (although you'll want to keep your pearls separate from the other items in there.) Protect the luster of your pearls by caressing them with a damp soft cloth after wearing them; this will remove skin cream, perfume and skin acidity that could dull its shine. Do not use anything abrasive or Ammonia-based to clean your pearls. Store in a soft pouch to keep your other jewelry and stones from scratching the pearls. We recommend that you take your pearls off when performing high energy activities as your natural increased skin acidity could dull their shine.