Identification

• Freshwater, or cultured, pearls are grown in freshwater mussels. Unlike naturally created saltwater mussel pearls, freshwater pearls are grown in a complicated process called "grafting."
  
  

Origins

• While there are some small pockets of cultured freshwater pearl production in the United States and Japan, China is by far the major producer of freshwater pearls.
  
  

Process

• In the process of grafting, a small piece of one part of the mussel, the mantle, is cut out and inserted into various places in both upper and lower valves of the mussel. As the mussel works to get rid of the inserted flesh, layers of pearly nacre are secreted, and a pearl is created.
  
  

Salt vs. Fresh

• Saltwater mussels produce only one or two pearls at a time, and the rarity renders them expensive. Cultured freshwater mussels, however, can produce up to 50 pearls at a time, making freshwater pearls a much more affordable option.
  
  

Characteristics

• Freshwater pearls are popular because they are available in many different shapes and sizes and have a tremendous range of color.