These freshwater pearls have a lovely luster and a nice shine. Why, you ask, are they more than some others? It is because they are not flat on one side. They are beautifully rounded on all sides. Less expensive potato pearls usually have one flat side. These do not. The color is a soft white with a pink cast. There is some color variation within the strand, with some silver beauties thrown in. The pearls are mostly 8 mm by 8 mm and have some shape variation almost leaning towards Baroque. Each strand is 16 inches long and there are approximately 50 pearls on each strand.