Pearl Quality Criteria
Unlike diamonds and other gems or stones, there is no standardized grading system for pearls. The truth is that each jeweler could have a completely different system for grading their pearls. Many pearl dealers have a system of grading ranging from A (the lowest quality) to AAA (the highest quality), though these grades are not recognized or used by some prestigious jewelery associations and organizations such as the G.I.A.
However, because of the fact that pearl grading can be so subjective, it is important to know eactly what each dealer's grading system means. For this reason, we have placed a quality guide at the bottom of each product page describing the item's qualities. We judge the quality of our pearls on the following factors:
Luster:
The luster of the pearl is it's shine or reflective quality. The higher the shine of the pearl, the greater it's value. A high shine can indicate thick nacre, but in some cases even shiny pearls have thin nacre, and some dull pearls could actually have thick nacre.
Nacre:
Nacre is the hard outer coating of the pearl that is created naturally during the culturing process. The thicker nacker the pearl has, the longer it will last without showing wear. Freshwater pearls are almost 100% nacre, whereas Akoya pearls generally have nacre between 0.2 and 0.5 millimeters in depth surrounding the nucleus bead.
Surface Quality:
The vast majority of pearls will exhibit some surface imperfections, or "inclusions". These range anywhere from small changes in texture to grotesque deformations. Generally speaking, the smoother the surface of the pearl, the higher value it holds.
Matching:
Matching is a very important aspect when dealing with strands of pearls. A well-matched strand has pearls which are uniform in shape, size and color. Though some pieces which do not appear to have good matching hold high values as well, a strand with pearls of the same size, color and shape are generally preferred.
Stranding Quality:
Apart from the quality of the pearls on a strand, it is important to have high-quality strand and knots along its length. Our strands are double knotted between each pearl on two strands of Chinese silk for extra quality and protection against pearl loss should the strand break accidentally.
Shape:
The shape of a pearl is very important. Generally speaking, the rounder the pearls, the higher value they hold. Though some pearls such as Tahitians are not always perfectly round, perfect roundness is very much desired in Akoya pearl jewelry.