mainly cultivated in Japan and China, these "tears of the gods" also occur in the rivers of Scotland, Ireland, France, Austria, Germany and Mississippi. It is also said to be the union of fire and water, and when worn set in silver it is said to be protective against depression, danger, insanity, jaundice, loss of beauty, sharks and early death; it is also said to be an aphrodisiac.

Grown in the United States and world-wide, freshwater pearls are born from several different mollusks and commonly have an uneven surface or irregular shape. They come in a variety of colors, including rose, lavender, and violet.

Pearls that come from freshwater mollusks (not oysters, which are in salt water only) and cultivated in lakes and rivers, not in the ocean. They are often somewhat less lustrous than their saltwater counterparts. However, they appear in a wide variety of shapes and colors, and they tend to be less expensive than saltwater pearls, making them quite popular. Freshwater pearls are also quite durable, resisting chipping, wear, and degeneration. A single mollusk can produce up to 50 pearls. The quality of freshwater pearls is improving each year, and it is getting more difficult to tell the difference between them and their saltwater cousins.

Pearls produced in freshwater mussels

Pearls predominantly flesh-nucleated typically in mussels in several countries around the world, notably China, Japan and the USA.

A pearl (usually irregular in shape) formed by a mussel living in a body of freshwater, such as a lake or river. Any cultured pearl that is grown by a freshwater mollusc. Freshwater molluscs usually inhabit lakes and rivers, but they can be grown in ponds as well.