Can saltwater (Akoya) pearls be off-round?

[elliefire99]

Greetings to the pearls board!

I recently impulsively bid on a strand of pearls advertised as "sea pearls." I have only ever owned freshwater, so I thought, eh, why not, and placed a bid. Lo and behold I won! Didn't expect that.

I paid very little for them, so I am not hugely concerned, but upon receiving them I notice that they are most definitely not round. They are potato shaped like many freshwater pearls. Is it even possible for saltwater pearls to be significantly off-round like that? I don't really mind, but I am more just curious.

The pearls have pretty good luster (not metallic), and have some slight imperfections. They are ivory-colored with a slight pink overtone. I will most likely keep them given the price, but it just made me curious as to the full possible scope of variation in akoya/saltwater pearls.

Is it possible that they are just very low quality saltwater pearls? Held over a light, i can see the hoizontal layers of the nucleus material, so it appears the nacre is pretty thin.

I can post photos of the strand when I get home from work But I am mostly just generally curious about saltwater shapes.

Sorry for the noob question and thanks for sharing your knowledge!

 

[pearlsngems]

Akoya pearls can certainly be semi-round and even baroque shaped. It happens when the nacre is laid down irregularly.

Non-round pearls of all kinds are worth significantly less than round pearls, but they can be beautiful and lustrous. As far as baroque akoyas specifically, the nacre is often too thin in spots, leading to problems in durability.

Baroque akoyas are not usually eggy/potato shaped. You may have received a freshwater pearl strand. It is unfortunately very common for FWP to be sold fraudulently as akoya pearls, south sea pearls and Tahitian pearls. EBay is full of such listings.

Why not post a photo? It would help us judge what they are.

 

[elliefire99]

Thank you! I didn't realize that saltwater Pearls could also be baroque!

And some pictures of my strand for funsies. Almost certainly fresh water, but for under $30, I'm not complaining!

 

[pearlsngems]

Freshwaters for sure. But if you like them anyway, you can get a lot of wear out of them. These have no bead inside and are solid nacre.

 

[katbran]

I agree, Freshwater pearls. Classic shape.