In 1940, after many years of work on breeding red-fleshed apples, Etter set up a partnership with George Roeding Jr.'s California Nursery Company, one of the goals of which was to introduce some of Etter's Surprise-derived cultivars to the public.

[1] Eventually Roeding settled on test seedling #39, which apparently impressed him with its looks (translucent skin, medium size, and tapered shape), its tart-sweet flavor, and its late-summer ripening date.

[2] He secured U.S. plant patent 723 for it on Etter's behalf, named it 'Pink Pearl', and featured it in his 1945 catalog.

They are named for the color of their flesh, which is a bright rosy pink sometimes streaked or mottled with white.

They have a translucent, yellow-green skin, and a crisp, juicy flesh with tart to sweet-tart taste.