River pearl beads are a popular component for jewellery with a touch of natural beauty, delicacy and luxury. Unlike perfectly round sea pearls, river pearls have irregular shapes, which gives them an authentic and unique look – no two are alike. It is precisely this small "imperfection" that makes them so popular among designers and creators of original handmade jewellery. Would you like to try creating jewellery from pearls but aren't sure how to start? Take a look at our creative kit for making a jewellery set from genuine pearls!

Genuine river pearls, along with classic pearls, have been coming back into the fashion spotlight in recent years. They are suitable not only for festive occasions but also for everyday wear. Genuine pearls beautifully complement any minimalist or more elaborate outfit. From river pearls you can create a beautiful pearl necklace, pearl bracelet or elegant earrings with river pearls, as well as brooches or delicate hair accessories. They combine wonderfully with gold-plated or silver components, but also with minerals or glass beads. This results in elegant, modern jewellery that looks both natural and sophisticated. A trendy combination is, for example, small river pearls with plastic beads featuring motifs or letters.

There are several types of genuine river pearls, which differ mainly in their shapes. In English these pearls are called real freshwater pearls. They include, for example, irregularly shaped pearls, known in English as "potato pearls". Another type is more elongated than the potato ones, known in English as "rice pearls". The last type is baroque pearls, which are even more irregular and often drop-shaped.

Freshwater pearls (also known as river pearls) form naturally inside freshwater mussels, which react to a foreign body – usually a grain of sand – by coating it in layers of nacre. This process can take several years, and it is precisely because of it that pearls have a soft lustre and natural texture. Today, most river pearls are obtained through controlled farming on pearl farms, where the mussels are carefully cared for so that they can form beautiful pearls without disrupting the ecosystem.

How to recognise genuine river pearls? Recognising genuine freshwater pearls can be easy once you know what to look for. Compared to glass or plastic imitations, genuine pearls have several characteristic features. Genuine river pearls do not have a perfectly smooth surface. You'll usually find small irregularities, grooves or speckling on them – this is completely normal and proves their natural origin. They often have irregular shapes. Genuine pearls have what's known as a nacreous lustre – not a shine like metal or plastic, but rather soft, velvety reflections. When you hold a pearl up against strong light, genuine pearls often show slight translucency and reveal the layering of the nacre. Imitations tend to be opaque and lack depth. Price is also an indicator of the authenticity of genuine river pearls. Plastic imitations are considerably cheaper.

How to care for river pearls? Since they are a natural material, river pearls are sensitive to acids, sweat and cosmetics. They therefore deserve gentle handling and careful storage. Pearls should be the last thing you put on before leaving the house and the first thing you take off when you get home. Individual pieces of jewellery should be stored separately in soft pouches. If you want to clean pearls, we recommend using only water or cosmetics specifically intended for cleaning pearl jewellery.

Start creating with river pearls and discover how easily they can turn any piece of jewellery into a small work of art. You might also be interested in lightweight plastic imitations of genuine pearls or luxurious glass pearls.

We carefully select river pearls for you, and their quality is our top priority. However, to be safe, we recommend allowing for a slight variation in size or hole width, as this is a natural material. The variation should not exceed 0.5 mm. Photographs of the beads are for illustration purposes only, as it is common for natural materials to have slight variations in colour or pattern, as explained above.