JEWELRY EDUCATION > GLOSSARY > Cultured Pearls
Cultured Pearls
Cultured pearls are formed by man-made intervention. A foreign object is introduced into the mollusk causing the same process to occur as when a natural pearl is formed. The shape of natural pearls varies and naturally round pearls are very rare. Cultured pearls, however, can be designed to be perfectly round, which is the reason why the price of pearls has significantly decreased in the last few decades. Cultured pearls can be distinguished from natural pearls through an X-ray that reveals the inner part of the pearl.
