Natural Freshwater Pearls from USA Rivers Info: Natural Freshwater pearls Toll Free: 1-866-884-7815 Natural Pearls: Persian Gulf Pearls Mississippi River Pearls Quahog Pearls Abalone Pearls Conch Pearls Natural Mississippi River Pearl More Photos Type: Natural Freshwater Color: Silvery White Shape: Baroque/Strawberry Weight: 8.95 carats Size: 13mm x 11.5mm x 9mm Luster: Very High Surface: Bumpy Natural Freshwater Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Shape: Button Color: White Pinkish Weight: 5.5 Carats Size: 10mm x 9.5mm x 7mm Surface: Very Smooth Luster: Very High Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Weight: 9.75 carats Size: 11mm x 11mm x 10mm Color: White Shape: Off Round Luster: Very High Surface: Very Clear Natural Freshwater Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Color: White Surface: Smooth Weight: 3.5 carats Size: 11.5mm x 7mm x 5.5mm Shape: Baroque Luster: Very High Natural Mississippi River Pearl More Photos Type: Natural Freshwater Color: White Weight: 6.4 carats Size: 11mm x 10mm x 8mm Shape: Oval Surface: Very Clear Luster: Very High Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Shape: Baroque Color: Golden Weight: 10.2 carats Size: 16.5mm x 12.5mm x 7mm Surface: Bumpy Luster: Very High Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Weight: 6 carats Size: 10mm x 9mm x 9mm Surface:Very Clear Luster: Very High Shape:Oval Color: White Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Weight: 7.9 carats Size: 18mm x 11mm x 10mm Shape: Baroque Surface: Very Clear Luster: Very High Color: White Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Weight: 7.90 carats Size: 11.5mm x 11.5mm x 9mm Shape: Button Color: White Surface: Slight Circles Luster: Very High Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Weight: 10.35 carats Size: 12mm x 10mm x 10mm Color: White Shape: Oval Surface: Very Clear Luster: High Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Color: White Shape: Button Weight: 2.35 carats Size: 8mm x 8mm x 5mm Luster: High Surface: Few Irregularities Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Color: White Shape: Off Round Weight: 9.1 carats Size: 11.5mm x 10.5mm x 10mm Luster: High Surface: Spot on bottom Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Color: White Shape: Egg Weight: 10.65 carats Size: 13mm x 11mm x 10mm Luster: High Surface: Circles Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Color: White Weight: 10.75 carats Size: 15mm x 13mm x 7mm Shape: Button Luster: High Surface: Smooth Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Color: White Weight: 7.25 carats Size: 10.5mm x 9mm x 9mm Shape: Off Round Surface: Smooth Luster: High Natural Mississippi River Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Color: White Weight: 2.75 carats Size: 9mm x 9mm x 4.5mm Shape: Button Surface: Few Irregularities Luster: High Natural Freshwater Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Color: White Weight: 12.8 carats Size: 13mm x 12mm x 11mm Shape: Off Round Surface: Very Smooth Luster: High Natural Freshwater Pearl More photos Type: Natural Freshwater Shape: Round Color: White Weight: 7.6 carats Size: 10mm x 10mm x 9.5mm Surface: Very Smooth Luster: High

Natural USA pearls have decorated the kings and queens of Europe!

Tons of shells were harvested from the Mississippi River during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Much of that activity was done in my area on the Mississippi River in Iowa. Many pearls were found as this photo below clearly shows.

Man with Mississippi River Pearls

The following is natural freshwater pearls information from Kunz 1908 pearl book.

Sometimes these natural USA pearls are translucent and either pink or of a faintly bluish tint, like molten silver. More frequently their hue is white, rose, pale yellow, or pale copper, deepening to copper red until they resemble the most intense and highly polished copper button.

According to the estimates of the value of European freshwater pearls given by seventeenth and eighteenth century writers, their worth was considered to be one half that of oriental pearls of approximately the same quality. Few European natural pearls, we feel sure, were ever found that possessed the wonderful beauty and brilliancy of the natural pearls found either in the Miami or the Mississippi and its many tributaries.

So extensive has become the finding of natural American pearls that great quantities have been gathered together of all varieties. At the time of this writing there are many large single lots of these natural freshwater pearls, slightly irregular, and not of fine quality, but yet of sufficient regularity of size to be termed baroque freshwater pearls.

At the time of writing this freshwater pearls information (1908) there are for sale in the United States a pair of natural freshwater button earrings, almost round, not of absolutely perfect color, weighing about 140 grains, the price being $6,000: a round, slightly ovate pearl, not of the finest color, weighing 85 grains, held at $3,500; and a wonderful non-cultured pearl with a rich, faintly pink luster, round, but slightly button on each side, weighing about 44 grains, and beautiful as are American natural freshwater pearls, is held at a fanciful valuation of over $6,000.

For questions about these pearls contact Kari.

Go to main catalog page after natural freshwater pearls.