Jewelry Beads · Pearl
Freshwater Pearl Beads
Freshwater pearl beads from the catalogue's pearl section — bought the careful way: shape, lustre and drilling confirmed per SKU before any order.
Pearls are the one bead where a photograph and a price tell you almost nothing: value lives in lustre, surface quality, shape consistency and drilling, none of which survive compression into a listing title. The catalogue records a freshwater pearl beads line in its pearl section, and this page presents it the way pearls should be bought — with the grading conversation made explicit, and per-SKU figures confirmed against the actual strands before you commit.
That honesty is deliberate. Pearl stock is graded in lots, and a standing web price for 'freshwater pearls' without a grade attached is meaningless. Send the shape (round, near-round, potato, rice), the size band, the colour (white, or dyed colours) and the drilling you need, and the reply will state which lots are in the catalogue, with grades described in plain terms and priced per strand or per piece as the lot is sold.
The pearl section
| Line | Details on record |
|---|---|
| Freshwater pearl beads | Named line in the pearl section of the catalogue |
| Mother of pearl shell beads | Shell-bead sister line; see mother of pearl |
| Shell beads generally | Freshwater shell and shell pearl lines; see shell beads |
| Berry / caviar beads | Small pearl-look pack beads recorded at $2.79–3.10, MOQ 10 bags |
How buyers spec freshwater pearls
- Grade in words, not letters. Letter grades are not standardised between suppliers. Ask for surface and lustre described plainly — clean or spotted surface, sharp or soft reflections — and for a photo of the actual lot, not a library photo.
- Shape honesty. True rounds cost multiples of near-rounds and potatoes. If your design is knotted and forgiving, near-round strands give you the pearl look at the working price; do not pay round prices for potato shapes.
- Drilling decides the job. Through-drilled for stringing, half-drilled for studs and drops. Half-drilled pearls must be ordered as such — you cannot convert a through-hole pearl into a stud pearl.
- Dyed colours: say so. Coloured freshwater pearls are dyed or irradiated. That is legitimate when declared — declare it in your own listings, and ask for it declared in ours.
Minimums, units and packing
Pearl minimums and prices are confirmed per lot — the recorded catalogue lists the freshwater pearl line without a standing per-SKU price, because pearl pricing follows the grade of the lot in hand. Inquire with shape, size, colour and drilling; the reply prices the actual lots available.
Buyer questions
Are these cultured freshwater pearls?
Freshwater pearls in this trade are cultured. The useful questions are grade, shape and drilling — covered above — and we answer them per lot in writing.
How do pearls differ from mother-of-pearl beads?
A pearl bead is the whole nacre body; a mother-of-pearl bead is cut from shell. They look related and price very differently. The mother of pearl page covers the shell side.
Can I get half-drilled pearls for earrings?
Ask on your inquiry with the size and shape you need — half-drilled stock is lot-dependent and is confirmed, not assumed.
Related specimens
Shell Beads
The shell section: MOP, shell pearl and freshwater shell.
View the line →Send your bead list, get a per-SKU quote
Tell us the material, size, hole size, quantity and unit basis (pieces, strands, pairs or bags) for each item on your list. We confirm current pricing, minimums and packing per SKU before you commit.
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