The jewelry world today is brimming with fabulous pearl brands and pearl designers. It seems as if there’s a new pearl brand debuting beautiful pearl jewelry every day.

But that’s no surprise. From high fashion runways to red carpets, pearls are having a real moment. This lustrous gem has, once again, found true admirers among both men and women. Contemporary pearl jewelry has given this exquisite gem a new definition — chic, cool, and sometimes even edgy.

For jewelry buyers looking to find their perfect pearl pieces, selecting the right brand can be overwhelming. Between the huge range of different types of pearls and their widely varying price points, the choices are almost limitless.

This article will help you make sense of all of that overwhelming choice. With careful consideration, we have compiled a list of the ten best brands for pearls. The list comprises both famous pearl brands as well as relative newcomers. It also includes brands across a spectrum of price points to fit not only your jewelry preferences, but your budget, too.

Each pearl jewelry brand here has its own distinctive style and offers something special to buyers. We are confident that within this list, you will discover the best pearl brand for yourself or your loved one, and find pearl jewelry you can treasure forever.

It should come as no surprise that Pearls of Joy is at the top of our list. (We compiled the list, after all!) But we also have worked hard to become one of the top pearl brands on the market. Read on to discover why we think so.

We’re an online pearl jewelry brand that offers exceptional pearl jewelry at very competitive, direct-to-consumer prices. As our name suggests, we sell nothing but finely made pearl jewelry.

The jewelry available on our website includes gorgeous pearl necklaces along with a wide selection of stand-alone earrings, bracelets, rings, and pendants. We also carry matching pearl jewelry sets, and many of our pieces come in a choice of settings, including 18K or 14K gold, as well as sterling silver.

Along with timeless classics — such as Akoya pearl necklaces, Tahitian and South Sea pearl pendants and diamond and pearl jewelry — we also offer pearl pieces made in trendy and contemporary jewelry designs.

While we do sell very affordable pearl jewelry, we also carry an impressive selection of luxury pearls. Gem quality Freshwater pearls, Hanadama Akoya pearls and opulent South Sea as well as Tahitian pearl necklaces are just some of the high-end pieces you can readily find on our website.

In short, Pearls of Joy is your one-stop-shop for all your pearl jewelry desires.

As far as the jewelry itself goes, our in-house jewelry designers and superb craftspeople create pearl jewelry pieces that are modern and have an aesthetic that is appealing and timeless.

Founded in 2003, Pearls of Joy has earned a well-deserved reputation for pearl knowledge and expertise over the last two decades. We are famous for selling high quality pearl jewelry that is made with exceptional attention to detail. And our pearls are always lovely.

Although we’re an online-only jewelry brand, we are able to effectively compete with other, larger brick-and-mortar jewelry stores because of our unique business model and XX day return policy.

Pearl expert Kevin Canning, founder and CEO of Pearls of Joy, sources our top quality Freshwater, Akoya, Tahitian and South Sea pearls directly from pearl farms overseas.  

This direct-to-consumer pricing model eliminates all unnecessary overhead, making our prices very affordable and friendly to any budget.

As a result, as a pearl jewelry brand, we appeal to both new jewelry buyers as well as customers who are building a pearl jewelry collection. So far, we’ve served more than 40,000 happy customers, and look forward to serving many more.

Mikimoto is a name that is synonymous with cultured pearls. Kokichi Mikimoto who was the founder of this brand, was the first person to successfully culture pearls.  

Prior to that time, pearls could only be harvested from wild mollusks. That meant pearls were incredibly rare, and so pricey that only the wealthiest could afford them.

Mikimoto’s innovation changed the jewelry industry forever, making pearls available to millions of women and men across the globe.

Mikimoto is a high-end pearl jewelry brand that offers beautiful designs. At Mikimoto, you will find jewelry set with Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls and South Sea pearls. The brand’s jewelry collections range from fine jewelry to one-of-a-kind high-fashion jewelry pieces.

Shoppers will notice that Mikimoto only sells very high quality pearls. But they will also notice some very high prices. Mikimoto’s immense global brand recognition means that they charge the highest luxury prices for their pearl jewelry. Because of that brand-name premium, Mikimoto jewelry is priced far above the budget of many pearl lovers.

Tiffany and Co. is another heritage fine jewelry brand known for beautiful pearl jewelry collections. Like Mikimoto, Tiffany is one of the most famous pearl brands in the world.

For the most part, Tiffany offers pearl jewelry sets with white Chinese Freshwater pearls and Japanese Akoya pearls. However, some of the niche jewelry pieces from their high jewelry collection — one-of-a-kind works that can cost tens of thousands of dollars — are set with Tahitian and South Sea pearls.

Their recent pearl jewelry offering, the Tiffany Hardware collection, has a contemporary look and was designed with a younger clientele in mind. With its distinctive minimalist appeal, the pieces of this collection are available in both 18K gold and sterling silver mountings.

Tiffany offers beautiful pearl jewelry, but with a large brand name premium attached, their jewelry comes at luxury prices. This means that Tiffany’s pearls are not very budget friendly even when compared to similar quality pieces from other brands. A simple Akoya pearl necklace from Tiffany can sometimes cost more than double the price of a comparable Akoya pearl necklace available at reputable online pearl jewelry brands.

Because of their luxury prices, Tiffany & Co. may not appeal to buyers who don’t want to overstretch their budget. This is particularly true when Tiffany is compared to online sellers.

New York-based Mateo Jewelry offers a range of striking jewelry pieces. The brand’s offerings mainly cater to Millennials.

Mateo was launched in 2009 as a men’s jewelry brand, but in 2014, it also started selling fine jewelry for women. At the very beginning, Mateo was an online-only jewelry store, but the brand opened its flagship brick-and-mortar location in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City in 2016. Additionally, Mateo jewelry is sold through a host of partner online retailers.

While not exclusively a pearl jewelry brand, Mateo is famous for its pearl jewelry pieces, most of which feature white Freshwater pearls.

The brand’s Baroque Pearl collection focuses on the unique shapes of baroque Freshwater pearls. Other pearl jewelry pieces by the brand feature Freshwater pearls paired with colored gemstones as well as diamonds.

Mateo offers its pearl jewelry pieces at a range of prices, including some budget-friendly options. However, since it is not exclusively a pearl jewelry brand, selection is limited, and buyers won’t find much choice in the types of pearls available.

With only white freshwater pearls being featured in most of their jewelry pieces, pearl lovers who like the look of saltwater pearls — or who enjoy wearing colored pearls — may not find Mateo’s pearl jewelry very appealing.

Established in 1959, Maui Divers is a Hawaii-based online jewelry brand that crafts gorgeous black coral pieces, among its other varied jewelry offerings.

Their jewelry designs are inspired by native Hawaiian flora and fauna, and all the pieces are made at the brand’s jewelry workshop in Honolulu.

Within its pearl jewelry offerings, Maui Divers has a vast selection of Tahitian black pearl jewelry. Aesthetically, Maui Divers jewelry designs have a very distinct ocean inspired look. Therefore, for Tahitian pearl lovers who are looking for nature-inspired jewelry, this brand always delivers.

However, compared to other reputable online brands, Maui Divers has a limited range of Freshwater, Akoya and South Sea pearl jewelry in their selection. In particular, there are very few necklace and bracelet strands, and those are mainly Tahitian pearls.

Paspaley is an Australian pearl jewelry brand known for its white South Sea pearl jewelry. This is another high-end pearl jewelry brand that has been associated with pearls for over 100 years.

From fine to high jewelry, Paspaley is a luxury brand that offers an appealing range of pearl jewelry pieces.

While their pearls are of excellent quality, Paspaley only offers white South Sea pearls, which come directly from their own pearl farms in northwestern Australia. This makes their selection limited in terms of color and pearl type options.

Also, as a luxury brand, Paspaley jewelry pieces carry luxury price tags. As a result, their high price ranges mean they don’t offer the best value for shoppers.

This is especially true for those jewelry buyers who are just starting their pearl jewelry collection, or who want to enjoy wearing pearls but cannot make their budget stretch too much.

Mejuri is another jewelry brand that crafts lovely pearl pieces. A relatively new entrant on the jewelry stage, the brand debuted in 2015 and has since become famous for its minimalist pieces that are created using sustainable materials.

Over the past eight years, Mejuri has been launching new jewelry designs on a regular basis. Their pieces are often delicately proportioned and look great when worn stacked.

Crafted in 14K gold, sterling silver, as well as demi-fine gold vermeil, the jewelry pieces at Mejuri appeal to a wide range of consumers.

Mejuri exclusively uses white Freshwater pearls in their jewelry, in round, near-round, and unique baroque formats.

Mejuri crafts beautiful pearl jewelry pieces. But the brand’s preference for freshwater pearls limits its offerings to a smaller color palette — white and gold. Therefore, this may not be the brand for those looking for more variety in their pearl jewelry.

This is a budget-friendly brand and a good starting point for anyone who wants to create their own pearl jewelry collection. But a smart buyer, with a little research, may find similar pieces from other reputable online sellers at even lower prices.

Jewelmer is another high end pearl jewelry brand. It is renowned for its stunning golden South Sea pearls.

Jewelmer is dedicated to environmental sustainability at every step of the pearl cultivation process at their pearl farms in the clean coastal waters of the Philippines.

Sustainable practices at Jewelmer go beyond ensuring that their pearl farms do not cause any environmental harm to the pristine waters around them. It also includes local community uplift through the “Save the Palawan Seas” foundation which the brand established in 2006.

Just like several other pearl jewelry brands that only rely on a single pearl type for their jewelry, Jewelmer only uses golden South Sea pearls in all its products.

While their jewelry pieces are exquisite and crafted with exceptional skill, the fact that their entire jewelry selection is based on golden South Sea pearls, makes the choice limited in terms of color and pearl type.

As a luxury brand, the prices of Jewelmer jewelry, both fine and high, are much above the budget of many jewelry buyers.

For buyers who aren’t looking to pay the premium required for luxury brand-name jewelry, a little bit of research may help them find equally lovely golden South Sea pearl jewelry from other reputable brands.

Blue Nile is an online jewelry retailer that was founded in 1999 as a global marketplace for buying diamond jewelry. Today it is an online hub for purchasing different types of fine jewelry ranging from engagement rings and wedding rings to other kinds of designer jewelry options.

It is because it offers so much convenience to jewelry shoppers that Blue Nile continues to attract new buyers even today.

Pearl jewelry set with Freshwater, Akoya, Tahitian and South Sea pearls also forms a part of Blue Nile’s extensive range of jewelry offerings.

The pearls are of reasonably good quality and the jewelry designs are simple, without too many embellishments. Currently, Blue Nile only offers pearl necklaces, pendants, bracelets and earrings.

Since it has always been predominantly associated with diamond jewelry, Blue Nile may not be a great fit for pearl jewelry buyers.

This is especially true for those buyers who have questions regarding pearls such as what to look for when buying pearls, what are the value factors for pearls and how to take care of their pearl jewelry.

In such cases, Blue Nile may lack the expertise of dedicated pearl jewelry brands.

Without a doubt, Blue Nile is a budget-friendly online jewelry retailer with an easy-to-navigate website. For many jewelry buyers, it may be possible to find some pearl pieces at attractive price points. Even so, the selection of pearl jewelry at Blue Nile is limited.

When you think of jewelry, the name Zales immediately comes to mind. One of the most recognized jewelry brands in the U.S., Zales offers a large selection of fine jewelry online as well as at its brick-and-mortar retail stores.

While predominantly a diamond and colored gemstones jewelry brand, Zales offers a wide selection of pearl jewelry as well. Some of their pearl jewelry pieces also feature diamonds and other colored gemstones.

The prices of Zales’ pearl jewelry make the brand a very budget-friendly option. Zales offers jewelry in Freshwater as well as Akoya, Tahitian and South Sea pearls.

Along with reasonable prices, however, come limited variety. For buyers who like tailoring jewelry to their own tastes, and who look for different options within a piece, such as a choice between 14K and 18K gold findings, or among necklace clasp designs, Zales may not be the jewelry brand for them.

Apart from famous pearl brands, jewelry buyers are often interested in learning more about the best pearl designers. Some of the best pearl designers work exclusively with pearls, creating jewelry pieces that are both lovely and unique.

Some pearl designers work with well-known jewelry brands. Others work independently, creating pearl jewelry under their own brand name.

Here are the three best pearl designers for 2023.

Melanie Georgacopoulos works with the world famous TASAKI pearl jewelry brand on the M/G TASAKI jewelry collection. This collection incorporates Freshwater pearls in ultra-modern and innovative ways. Elegance and a unique sophistication define all of Melanie Georgacopoulos' creations.

Mizuki Goltz is an independent pearl jewelry designer who designs contemporary fine jewelry under her namesake brand, Mizuki. With pearls as the starting point, Mizuki’s one of a kind, unique pieces have a minimalist aesthetic that is both simple and unique. The jewelry pieces feature both baroque pearls as well as perfectly round ones.

Ashleigh Branstetter is another independent jewelry designer who works almost exclusively with pearls. Her award-winning, one-of-a-kind pearl jewelry pieces feature both round and baroque pearls and exceptional goldsmithing.

Whether you are looking for a treasured addition to your jewelry collection, or for a thoughtful gift for a loved one, pearl jewelry is always a timeless and elegant choice.

Given all these important considerations, our final verdict is that Pearls of Joy is the best pearl jewelry brand today. We offer a wide selection of jewelry that is set with gorgeous, top-quality cultured pearls and exquisite designs, and our unique pricing model makes our pearls surprisingly affordable. We also cater to every taste and budget, with spectacular high-end, luxury pearls for the true connoisseurs among us.  

Our pearl expertise and the testimonials of many thousands of happy customers prove that we can bring every shopper the joy of pearls. Take a moment to look around our site, and we’re sure you’ll find your perfect piece.

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