These lovely 10-12mm, A, graduated white Edison pearls in a loose string are ready to string into an amazing neckace or bracelet.


About Edison pearls

Edison pearls offer the exquisite lustre and vivid colours of large South Sea pearls but at a fraction of the cost.

Freshwater Edisons are cultivated in the same way as saltwater pearls – nucleated (implanted) with a single bead so that each of the specially-selected host molluscs produces only one gorgeous pearl, rather than several, as with traditional freshwater pearl farming.

Also known as ‘Starburst’ pearls, the technique for creating them was developed only in the early 21st century. While details of the process are top secret, the technique involves careful monitoring of water temperature and regular varying of the depth that the molluscs are grown at.

Edisons usually have a superb lustre and often show a subtle gold colour-cast. Because each mollusc only has to produce one pearl, Edisons are generally much larger than traditional freshwater pearls.

Natural colours range from white, cream and pink to gold, lavender, plum and purple. However, unlike Tahitian pearls, Edisons do not normally come in black so any pearls being sold as ‘black Edisons’ will be of a treated colour.

Edison pearls are named for the great inventor Thomas Edison, who declared: “There are two things which couldn’t be made at my laboratory — diamonds and pearls.” While he might have invented the lightbulb (among other innovations) he has since been proved wrong on both counts!


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Please see our other listings for many other pearl, bamboo coral and semi-precious gemstone strings that we have in stock for immediate delivery. We despatch from our Wiltshire studios by Royal Mail.

Not stringing it yourself? Ask about our expert stringing service! We also stock a wide range of clasps.

*Note on string lengths: Strings listed as 14-inches in length should make a necklace of 15-16-inches (approx) depending on knotting technique and size of clasp used. If you are unsure how many strings you will need for your project, we are happy to offer advice, so please contact us.