Sea of Cortez Pearl
A dark, strongly iridescent cultured pearl from the rainbow-lipped oyster of Mexico. Produced in tiny quantities.
The Sea of Cortez farm is the only significant pearl operation in the Americas, and it harvests a few thousand pearls a year against the millions produced in Asia.
Colours are dark and complex: pistachio, aubergine, bronze and silver, with unusually strong orient.
They fluoresce red under ultraviolet light, which is a recognised identifying feature.
When you are buying
Scarcity rather than size drives the price here. If you want a dark pearl and Tahitian feels predictable, this is the alternative worth knowing about.
Tahitian Pearl
A naturally dark saltwater pearl from the black-lipped oyster of French Polynesia. Grey to near-black, with green, aubergine or peacock overtones.
Overtone
A translucent secondary colour lying over a pearl's main body colour, most often rose, silver or green.
Orient
The faint shifting rainbow that plays across the surface of a fine pearl, distinct from its lustre or its colour.
Saltwater Pearl
A pearl grown in an oyster in the sea. Rounder and rarer than freshwater, and considerably more expensive.