A pearl is naturally produced when an irritant like sand gets into the oyster. There are different kinds of pearls, which are available in the market. Some of them are Sothsea, Akoya, Black Tahitian and freshwater. Among them, the two most popular pearls are Freshwater and Akoya. Akoya pearls are very popular and they are most extracted from saltwater mollusks. Freshwater pearls are very much like Akoya pearls but they are not as expensive as Akoya.

The different kinds of pearls are differentiated by their different culturing technique. The difference between Freshwater pearls and the Akoya pearl is the culturing technique and the types of oyster they grow in. One of the most legible differences between them is that Akoya pearls grow in saltwater, whereas, the Freshwater pearls generally grow in ponds, rivers, and lakes. In Japan, Akoya means saltwater, it is from there that the terminology has been adopted.

Different pearls take different time span for its growth. For example, Freshwater pearls generally take less time, which is about 2-4 years. The Akoya pearls take more time for its growth than any other pearls. You can easily grow more than 7 pearls during the harvesting time, and so the production of the Freshwater pearls is quite more than the cultured pearls of Akoya.

The Akoya pearls are very expensive, and it is due its high quality. The quality of the Akoya pearls is widely acclaimed throughout the world. But in recent years, due to the improving techniques of the pearl farms, the quality of the Freshwater pearls has improved rapidly.