More Info About Stick or Biwa Pearls

How Many Stick Pearls on a Strand?

Pearls are typically strung on temporary strands measuring 16 inches in length. In metric measurements, this is equivalent to about 400mm. The table below is based on dividing the strand length by the average length on the drilled dimension of the pearl. This table gives you an approximate number of pearls you may expect to see on a typical strand - actual pearl counts can vary from this estimate.

Please note that this table works pretty well for uniformly sized stick pearls, drilled through the center of the pearl. It does not work very well for stick pearls that are end-drilled (because it is hard to guess the drilled dimension).

How Many End-Drilled Stick Pearls on a Strand?

Use this table for stick pearls drilled on the long dimesion of the pearl:

Pearl buying tips:

Freshwater Pearls are sold by the strand. Strands are usually 16" long (40 cm), but sometimes can be as short as 15.5". They are temporarily strung on thread or mono filament cord.

We try to stock pearl styles that can be restocked, or where very similar pearls are readily available. Since pearls are a "natural product", some styles and colors will be available only in limited amounts and may not be available again. It is best to purchase all the strands that you need for a particular project all at the same time.

Please be aware that you usually get what you pay for with Freshwater Pearls! In other words, the higher the price, the nicer the pearls. Higher priced pearls will be more consistent in color and shape and will have better luster. Pearl prices also tend to be higher for very small pearls (more labor to prepare the strands) or very large pearls (more rare and they take longer to culture).