WHITE PEARLS remain the preferred choice in Hong Kong , although black pearls have been coming on strong in recent years.
'If you are a first-time buyer, you think of white pearls. They're fantastic; you can see the glow from inside. Black pearls are more of a cyclical fashion trend,' said Barry Lau, creative director and manager of sales and marketing for the pearl department at Swiss-based Golay Buchel, which specialises in pearls.
Simple pearl strands are always popular, but design-intensive pearl jewellery, often featuring just a few pearls, is the hottest trend for this soft, subtle gemstone.
White pearls include large South Sea pearls (10mm-20mm) from Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines; Japanese Akoyas; and Chinese freshwater pearls.
Black pearls, or Tahitian pearls, are farmed in French Polynesia and come in a range of colours from light grey to green, purple and black, with sizes up to 16mm.
Mr Lau said prices for pearl jewellery could start at less than HK$1,000 for a piece with a couple of Chinese freshwater pearls and a small number of diamond accents. A similar item with an Akoya pearl might start at less than HK$1,300. Jewellery with a black Tahitian pearl would be about HK$4,000, with another 50 per cent for the same item with a South Sea pearl.
Designer Karen Lee of Karen Jewel works mainly with large South Sea and Tahitian pearls, which she likes to combine with irregularly shaped keshi and baroque pearls, or tiny seed pearls.