Baroque pearls are pearls with an irregular, non-spherical shape. Shapes can range from minor aberrations to distinctly ovoid, curved, pinched, or lumpy shapes. Most cultured freshwater pearls are baroque because freshwater pearls are mantle-tissue nucleated instead of bead nucleated.
Nowadays, most jewelry stores selling baroque pearl jewelry offer cultured freshwater pearls rather than wild freshwater pearls, which are significantly more expensive. Cultured freshwater pearls are affordable and unique and lend themselves well to various pearl jewelry designs.

Freshwater pearls are formed in mollusks that live in lakes or rivers rather than ocean-dwelling oysters. The vast majority of pearls on the market today are cultured.

Generally, the mollusk secretes a lustrous substance made of calcium carbonate, known as nacre. The nacre is slowly deposited over a particle, bead, tissue, (or any type of irritant that makes its way into the mollusk) until it forms the shiny, milky-colored pearls we all love to wear. One hallmark of freshwater pearls is that they are typically smaller and more uniquely shaped than saltwater pearls. The common sizes are from 2mm through 12mm and the nature color mostly like white, rose pink and purple pink. [Read More]