Characteristic of the Akoya Pearl - pearl jewelry design

The Akoya oyster is the smallest of the pearl-producers. Adults are only 3 to 5 inches in diameter. Because the oyster is small, so is the pearl. Typical Akoya pearls range from 2 mm to 11 mm, with the 10 and 11 mm sizes rare finds.

Of all the pearl value factors, the Akoya excels at matching - in fact, most of them rank as "excellent" in the category. That's why many Akoya pearls are sold as strands. The reason the pearls can be so easily matched is that most of them are round or near-round.

Sizes in Akoyas are valuable when they are in high demand. There is a big amount of difference in value between a 7.5 and 8 mm size, just because the 8 mm is desirable in fashion at the moment. However, as a rule of thumb, Akoyas become more valuable as they increase in size. Although most Akoya pearls are round or near-round, nature still produces baroques, semi-baroques and sometimes even drops in some harvests.

The Akoya pearl is either white or cream in body color with rose, cream, silver or ivory overtones. Some Akoya pearls achieve a black body color through a process called irradiation. It typically has an excellent, good or fair luster, which is why the Akoya is such a prized gem. The best pearls have clean surface quality and acceptable nacre. The most highly valued Akoyas are larger, have excellent luster and clean surface quality.