Black-Lipped Mollusk

The black-lipped mollusk can produce a variety of cultured pearl colors. - Photo by Maha Tannous/GIA, pearls courtesy A&Z Pearls; shell gift of A&Z Pearls and Tasaki Shinju Co.

Thin Nacre

This is a cultured pearl with very thin nacre. The nacre is so thin you can see the bands of a bead inside when you shine bright light through it. A human inserted the bead into an oyster to help it grow a pearl. - Photo by Tino Hammid/GIA

Chinese Cultured Pearls

These are Chinese cultured pearls that display very strong colors. - Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA, courtesy Betty Sue King

Baroque Pearls

Baroque pearls have a their own kind of beauty. To create a cool strand of baroque pearls, designers must look through many of them to pick shapes that go well with each other. - Photo by Valerie Power/GIA, courtesy Paspaley

Akoya Pearl Oyster

This akoya pearl oyster shows the cultured pearl that grew inside it. This oyster’s scientific name is pinctada fucata (martensii). - Photo by Valerie Power/GIA

Gold-Lipped Mollusk

This mollusk shell is called gold-lipped because of the color of the edge around its mother-of-pearl layer. The mother-of-pearl is the inside lining of a mollusk shell. It is the same material its pearls are made of. Gold-lipped mollusks are found in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Myanmar. - Photo by Maha Tannous/GIA

Pearl Triton

This piece of jewelry uses a baroque pearl to form the body of a Triton. It is held in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. - Photo courtesy Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Pits and Spotting

Some of these Tahitian cultured pearls have marks in the form of pits and spotting. Sometimes these blemishes can be hidden when pearls are mounted or strung. Pearls with completely smooth skins are the most valuable. - Photo by Valerie Power/GIA, courtesy Robert Wan

Different Pearl Sizes

In general, the larger the pearl, the more valuable it is. Different varieties come in different sizes: South Sea cultured pearls are the largest.

Golden Pearls

Both of these strands are made of golden cultured pearls from the South Seas. Which strand has a higher luster and deeper color? If you guessed the top strand, you are correct! - Photo by Eric Welch/GIA

Pearl Cultivators

Across the world, growers care for different types of freshwater and saltwater pearl mollusks. Their work makes sure that people who buy pearls can have many choices of pearls at different prices. - Photo by Vincent Pardieu/GIA