Our Honora cultured pearls are of the finest quality and are available in many vibrant colors, shapes and sizes. We have hand picked, for our collection, the most exquisite Tahitian South Sea, Chinese freshwater cultured, and Japanese Akoya pearls available anywhere in the world. Though pearls are most commonly thought of as white, these pearls are also available in a wide range of natural colors: lavender, pink, plum, purple, cocoa, peach and tangerine shades. Enhanced black and silver colored pearls are also available. The Chinese freshwater pearl comes in a variety of shapes: rounds, buttons, ovals, drops and unusual baroque shapes. The sizes vary from 3mm to 12mm. These Chinese freshwater pearls have very high luster and are very durable, due to the nacre vs. nucleus ratio. Nacre is the substance the oyster produces, that creates the pearl, as it beads around an irritant inside the shell. The amount of nacre is higher in these Chinese freshwater pearls than any other pearls. These exceptional Chinese freshwater pearls are relatively new to our industry and are gaining popularity due to the fact that high quality Japanese Akoya pearls are becoming more and more rare each year. A combination of unfortunate factors are making Japanese Akoya pearls scarce; overcrowding of oysters, polluted waters and an AIDS-like virus are affecting the present and future pearl harvests around Japan.