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Pearl colors

Silver and gray pearls

Silver is a Tahitian bodycolor and a South Sea color from the silver-lipped oyster.

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Illustration. Screens vary, and real pearls change with the light.

Where silver and gray pearls come from

Silver is a Tahitian bodycolor and a South Sea color from the silver-lipped oyster. Charcoal gray is a Tahitian bodycolor, rare blue akoyas have a silvery gray tone, and Sea of Cortez pearls run from gray to dark gray (GIA).

Pearl types with this color

Natural or treated?

Some pearls are irradiated to produce dark gray colors (GIA), and irradiation can give a bluish or greenish gray (Jewelry Business). A dark gray cultured pearl under 8 mm is likely a dyed akoya or freshwater pearl.

More on pearl treatments, or build this color yourself in Pearl Studio.

Pearls that come in this color

Tahitian pearls The "black pearls." Saltwater pearls from the black-lipped oyster in French Polynesia, usually 8 to 14 mm, in… South Sea pearls The largest of the main cultured pearls. Grown in Pinctada maxima oysters off Australia, Indonesia and the Ph… Strands of akoya cultured pearls Akoya pearls The classic white pearl strand. Saltwater pearls from the akoya oyster, grown mainly in Japan, Vietnam and Ch… Sea of Cortez pearls Rare cultured pearls from Mexico's rainbow-lipped oyster, grown near Guaymas, Sonora. Brown to dark gray with…

Frequently asked questions

Are silver and gray pearls natural?

They can be. Silver is a Tahitian bodycolor and a South Sea color from the silver-lipped oyster. Some pearls are irradiated to produce dark gray colors (GIA), and irradiation can give a bluish or greenish gray (Jewelry Business).

Questions from readers

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Sources

Checked October 22, 2026.