How Akoya pearls are priced by quality: the factors that matter, where the size premium kicks in, and how Akoya compares with South Sea and Tahitian on cost.

How to choose Akoya cultured pearl earrings from Pinctada fucata: the sizes that suit you, what mirror lustre should look like, matching, settings and care.

A working farmer's tour of the Pinctada genus — Pinctada maxima, Pinctada margaritifera and Pinctada fucata compared as living animals, and how each one's biology decides the pearls it grows.

An Akoya pearl is a saltwater cultured pearl grown in the Pinctada fucata oyster, prized for the sharpest lustre of any cultured pearl. What it is, how it's farmed, and how it compares.