What Makes Today’s Freshwater Pearls So Much Better?

The major increase in quality can be attributed to several factors. The primary jump in quality was accomplished when the industry shifted from the Cockscomb pearl mussel, (Cristaria plicata) to the Triangle shell, (Hyriopsis cumingii) in the middle 1990's. The Cockscomb was responsible for the low-quality rice-crispy pearls of the 1970's and 1980's. Another shift in quality can be attributed to the lower number of grafts inserted into either valve. This number has dropped by an average of 5 per side in the last decade. The turn of the century brought another wave of quality and exotic pearl colors in the form of mussel hybridization.