Cortez pearls come from the Gulf of California also known as the “Sea of Cortez”. The pearls are harvested from the Panamic Black-Lipped Oyster (Pinctada mazatlanica) and the Rainbow-Lipped mollusk (Pteria sterna). Only about 4,000 pearls harvested each year meet the industry’s quality standards to be sold on the gem market. The pearls have a beautiful luster due to their exceptional nacre thickness. The pearls can come in silver, gray, gold, green, blue, violet, purple, and black with pink, violet, blue and green overtones. The pearls average 6.5 to 8.5mm but some 14mm pearls are known.