Biwa pearls are the freshwater pearls. Biwa pearls are also referred to as stick pearls. This is so because of their longness, flatness and narrowness, similar to that of a stick. They are called Biwa pearls they were actually cultured in the Biwa Lake situated in Japan using the freshwater clams. Biwa is the largest and one of the ancient lakes in Japan. A small square of mother of pearl is tucked into the clam instead of a bead. The Biwa pearls need a time period of about 3 years to yield the best product. They are the unusual looking pearls having an irregular shape and are very luminescent. They are very lustrous and can be center drilled, top drilled or end drilled pearls. If the pearls are drilled through the shorter dimensions of the pearl at one end instead of at the center that is referred to as top drilled. If it is drilled through the flat middle part of the pearl, then we say that the pearl is center drilled.

Biwa pearls are small, unusually shaped cultured pearls from the freshwater mussels of Lake Biwa, Japan. First produced in the 1930s, their quality rivaled that of both natural and cultured saltwater pearls, and they were far less expensive to own. For many years any freshwater pearl was called a Biwa, regardless of its provenance.

Biwa's Decline
Biwa pearls came on the market just when the natural, saltwater pearl fishing industry was going into serious decline. Overfishing and pollution had damaged mollusk beds, especially in the Persian Gulf. By the 1930s, the oil industry there also tempted workers away from the great dangers of pearl diving to safer jobs on land. In less than 50 years, however, Biwa pearl production also declined, thanks to similar factors---pollution at Lake Biwa and fresh competition from abroad, especially China.

Biwa Pearls Today
Today, Biwa's pearl production is negligible. China's huge natural and labor resources have put it at the forefront of cultured pearl production, and "Biwa" pearls sold from Japan today sometimes are produced in China. Legally in the U.S., however, no pearl may be sold as Biwa unless it comes from Lake Biwa. Older examples remain the best. Biwa pearl jewelry is so popular that you can see many of different fashion jewelry designs in that.