Anything adorned with a pearl is one of the most exquisite forms of jewelry you can purchase, as you can add a serious sense of class and charm to any outfit with a pearl on a ring, on a pendant, or on earrings, but you should also realize that pearls can run you a lot of money or can be very reasonably priced, depending on where you look – and you should also realize that they can be expensive or reasonably priced depending on what it is that you are actually buying!

The difference between a freshwater pearl and a saltwater pearl is the first thing you need to understand (and realize that a “real” pearl and a “fake” pearl has nothing to do with freshwater and saltwater!); freshwater pearls are more common, but only because most pearls these days are grown for commercial purposes, and there are fewer “pearl farms” that grow saltwater pearls than freshwater – but each type of pearl is just as beautiful, and each is just as worth owning as the other.

The place where there is a difference between what some would call “real” and “fake” pearls is in the distinction between “natural” pearls and “cultured” pearls; cultured pearls are those that are grown for commercial purposes (where thousands of mollusks are kept and taken care of in such a way that pearl growth occurs, making the creation of pearls a mass-produced product), whereas natural pearls are only those found in nature, where they have grown naturally. You may imagine it would be nice to own some jewelry with a natural pearl on it, but you will also want to know that cultured pearls generally cost under $100, while natural pearls can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece!

And make sure you understand the ratings (both on the AAA-A system, and on the A-D system) when you are shopping for pearls, as this will help you to ensure that the pearl you choose to buy not only looks good on the surface, but is also of high quality.

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