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Among Pearl Earrings, the most desirable are the true iridescent pearls. These are cherished symbols of purity and perfection. Humans wear pearls as ornaments since the dawn of history. The pearl is produced in the soft tissue or mantle of mollusk. The shells of mollusk are made of calcium carbonate. A pearl is also made of calcium carbonate. The deposits occur in small crystalline form and they are deposited inside the mantle in concentric layers. The round and smooth pearls are the ideal pearls but there are pearls of many other shapes. These are called baroque pearls.

The luster, nacre and surface quality goes a long way in ascertaining the quality of an Akoya Salt Water pearls. Apart from these features, the size also goes along way in ascertaining the quality of these pearls. The larger an Akoya pearl the more expensive it is. The Akoya pearls are mainly produced by Japan and China. The Japanese led in production but the Chinese began producing more Akoya pearls after the 1980s. This led to the Japanese increasing their production after the 1980s. The standard Akoya pearls are 6 mm in diameter. Some of them may also be 7 mm in diameter while some are large as 8 mm. Those above the 8 mm range tend to be very expensive. The Fresh Water Pearls grow inside the mantle of certain freshwater mussels. Layers of nacre make up a true pearl. There is a thick inner layer in the shell made of mother of pearl or nacre and that leads to the making of true pearls.