Choosing the right pearl necklace can be a little confusing at first, but with a little basic pearl education, it can become very easy to do. Choosing the right pearl necklace really comes down to evaluating a number of different factors including what color pearls you are looking for, your price budget, and the size of pearls you want.

First, starting with the color of the pearl, the most common and sought-after pearl color is classic white, which is popular because white pearls can be worn on a daily basis as well as for evening events. White pearls are generally divided up into three different pearl types: Freshwater Pearls, Akoya Pearls and White South Sea Pearls.

The first type of white pearl often found in the marketplace are Freshwater pearls, which are the cheapest option because they are grown in freshwater tanks in China. The second type of white pearl are Akoya pearls which are grown in saltwater environments in Japan and yield lustrous and beautiful white pearls. Akoya pearls are considered to be the most common mid-tier alternative since they fall within a medium price range and have the best value. The last and final type of white pearl are White South Sea Pearls, which source from regions of Australia and are considered to be the priciest and some of the most valuable pearls in the world.

The second most popular color of pearls is black pearls, and these come in two categories: Black Akoya pearls and Black Tahitian pearls. Black Akoya pearls are saltwater pearls from Japan and are considered to be a cheaper alternative but still have a high level of luster and beauty. Tahitian South Sea pearls are by far the most valuable and unique pearls available in the marketplace and have some of the most unique color overtones in the world. The only are two pearl colors are golden pearls, which are only offered in Golden South Sea, and Pink Lavender pearls, which are offered in the Freshwater pearl category.

Now that we know what color pearls we are looking for, you have to understand the price ranges for each type of pearl. By far, freshwater pearls are considered to be the cheapest in the marketplace. Freshwater strands can cost as low as $49 at times and are considered to be the best budget pearls in the marketplace today. Akoya pearls are considered to be mid-range in price, starting at $99 all the way to $3,000 dollars in the case that you want the highest quality Akoya pearls, which are Hanadama pearls. South Sea Pearls including Tahitian Pearls, Golden Pearls and White South Sea pearls are generally known to be the highest value pearls and best quality pearls in the world. South Sea pearls can start anywhere from $2,000 in price all the way up to $100,000 in extreme cases.

Last but not least, pearl size is an important factor to understand when evaluating what type of pearls you can buy. Since size cannot easily be communicated when customers are doing online shopping, it is always recommended that you view a few strand sizes at your local jewelry store for reference purposes. If you are looking for extremely small value pearls, your only option is to purchase white or black Akoya pearls, which range in size from 4.0mm all the way up to 10.0mm for more expensive strands. On the other hand, if you are looking for a little more size at a reasonable price, freshwater pearls begin at approximately 7.0mm in size and range up to 13.0mm in rare strands. Lastly, South Sea pearls start at around 8.0mm and go all the way up to size 16.0mm in very rare scenarios.

With the information above, it should become abundantly clear on how to choose a good pearl necklace. Once you figure out the color, based on your budget and the pearl size you are looking for, you can ascertain what pearl type would work best for you.