Pearl Categories

Pearls come in a variety of lovely but relatively limited shades naturally. The color of a pearl is controlled by the species of mollusk and environmental factorsa��primarily the water's composition. Freshwater pearls come in white, pink, peach, mauve, cream, white and gray, among others. Saltwater pearls may be white, cream, yellow, pink, black, silver or gray.

Pearls have three primary color characteristics:

• Bodycolor: the underlying color of the pearl, such as white, gold, gray, etc. All pearls have a bodycolor.
• Overtone: a translucent "coating" of color. A silver pearl may have a blue overtone or a green overtone, for example. Not all pearls have an overtone.
• Iridescent orient: the variable play of colors across the surface of the pearl like a rainbow. Not all pearls have iridescent orient.

Because pearls naturally come in a somewhat limited selection of colors, humans have invented numerous ways to alter their color, including dying, bleaching, chemically treating and irradiating. This means that pearls can be found in nearly every shade imaginable.