Pearl Grading

There is a lot of variety available in today’s pearls; because of this variety, it is very crucial that you judge the quality of a pearl before you make the decision to buy. Experts’ grade pearls universally on five factors – luster, color, shape, surface and size. The uniformity in these quality factors greatly affects the price of pearls.

• Luster – A pearl’s luster is directly related to its level of superiority. It is the reflective property of the pearl, the manner in which the pearl handles light. A pearl’s ability to reflect and refract light uniformly throughout its layers defines its importance. Pearls with low luster appear chalky white and are less costly than their counterparts exhibiting a high luster.

• Color –A pearl’s overtone and body color are very important. The oyster is the major determiner of body color, while the pearl’s overtone refers to the thin, lucid hue that appears over its body. Overtone adds both glow and depth to a pearl. You must carefully observe the pearl, making sure it is not artificially colored, before buying it.
• Shape – Owing to their natural formation, pearls are available in various interesting and distinctive shapes. Experts broadly classify pearls in three shapes – spherical, symmetrical and baroque. A perfectly round pearl is very rare and very expensive.
• Surface – A pearl’s surface is one of the most important attributes to consider. The pearl’s surface must be very smooth and shiny exhibiting neither cracks nor scratches. No pearl is truly perfect. However, the visibility and occurrence of a pearl’s defects should be considered in your selection process.
• Size – Experts gauge pearl size in diameter, measuring in millimeters. Since pearls come in so many sizes, it can be difficult to find a strand with uniform size of pearls. A differential of 0.5mm between the pearls is permissible within a strand.