South Sea cultured pearls are of exceptional quality with a whitish, almost silver color.  Much larger than the average pearl, these possess a unique smoothness and roundness. They are the rarest, most extraordinary pearls used in jewelry today.  Baroque South Sea pearls are slightly less round and symmetrical.  They too are truly one-of-a-kind pearls. South Sea pearls come from the white-lipped variety of the pinctada maxima oyster. This oyster is much larger than the oysters that produce Akoya and Freshwater pearls, so the pearl that it produces is much larger as well. Because of the rarity and sensitivity of this type of oyster, cultivation of these pearls is much more difficult, making them more expensive.