The 1880's was the peak for American freshwater naturals. The rivers were full of them. People went on picnics and pearl hunted. The place to read about that is "the Book of the Pearl" by Kunz. Hard to find in book form but available for free reading on Farlang, which has a number of pearl books that are out of print.
They are still fishing American naturals out of the bigger rivers. And older pieces show up and are sold in local stores near where they were found. I saw a natural American necklace for $10k in a Texas store, way out of my range and that was years ago. Not sure you could even find a necklace now. This trade is too small and to spread out to commercialize.
Caitlin www.pearl-guide.com
Feb 12, 2010 Rating
Natural Pearls by: Anonymous
Thank you for your question. My pearl friends and I have been debating the type of pearl in your Aunt Julia's ring.
The pearl is either a freshwater pearl from a US river or a natural saltwater pearl. Old Natural saltwater pearls can also look like your Aunt Julia's pearl. I am leaning towards a natural pearl.
