South Sea pearls, classified mainly by their principle color tones of white or gold, are the most valuable pearls in today's market, due both to their extremely large size and their comparable scarcity. Produced by the silver/golden lipped oyster (Pinctada maxima), and cultured in warm South Sea locations in Australia, Indonesia, the Phillippines and other Southeast Asian countries, South Sea pearls quite often have extremely thick nacre of 2-6mm which produces extremely high luster and sharp reflections. It's no surprise that South Sea pearls are usually the most treasured possessions of pearl collectors.