Pearls: natural, cultured, and shell — how to tell them apart and sell each one

## Pearls: natural, cultured, and shell

The day I started designing pieces with pearls, around mid-2014, I thought I knew everything about the subject because I had read three books and visited a fair in Sao Paulo. I was wrong. It took me more than a year to understand, in practice, the difference between natural pearl, cultured pearl, and shell — and when each one fits in the demi-fine market. Today, at Herreira, I work with all three, in different pieces, at different prices, with different stories for the client. This lesson is the shortcut I wish I had had when I was learning.