Natural versus cultured. Natural pearls are hard to find. They're rare, and this makes them worth more money. But let's rewind for a second. What is a natural pearl, and how are they formed?

But just because you can grow a cultured pearl doesn't mean it's an easy process. Pearl farmers wait anywhere from six months to two years for a pearl to form. And not every pearl comes out the same.

A great irony of pearl history is that the least expensive cultured pearl product in the market today rivals the quality of the most expensive natural pearls ever found. The price-value anomaly is ...