Colors generally range from cream, to silver-white (most common), to black (most rare). But there are also color overtones reflected across a pearl's surface. In fact, the color of a pearl more often than not is a meld of its body color and its overtone, a pearl with a "rose overtone" will describe a white pearl with a rose colored hue.
Akoya Pearls
Akoya cultured pearls are white lustrous pearls often associated with the classic pearl strands made famous by Princess Diana and Jackie Onassis. Cultured Akoya pearls come in overtones of rose, Cream and Ivory - the most popular being rose or cream.Freshwater Pearls
Freshwater pearls come in various pastel shades of white, black, pink, peach, lavender, plum, purple, and tangerine.South Sea Pearls
South Sea cultured pearls come in shades of lustrous white, often with silver or rose overtones. They are larger in size than the Akoya pearls and are used in the creation of fine pearl strands and ropes.Tahitian Pearls
Tahitian pearls are most often in shades of green and gray. While a Tahitian pearl has a dark body color, it will vary in its overtones, which most often will be green or pink.Which color pearl should I purchase?
Today, most pearls sold are cultured, as opposed to natural and most pearls receive some sort of treatment. The treatments can be simple polishing or bleaching and dyeing.Color does not affect the quality of a pearl, but does affect the perceived beauty of the pearl according to the individual taste of the "eye of the beholder". Some colors have become more popular than others in particular markets. For example, white pearls are the most popular in America, while silver are more sought after in Asia.
A general guideline is skin tone. Many women with fair or light colored skin feel rose overtones look best. While women with dark skin or tan easily find black or cream overtones look best.
What color you choose should be based on the personal preference of the person who will wear the pearls.
