Pearl Buying Guide
How can you tell if pearls are real?
- Use your tooth - seriously. Take the pearl and rub it against your teeth. If the surface of the pearl feels grainy, then it is real. If the surface feels smooth, then it is an imitation.
- Shape - Real pearls have irregularities and ridges that make them unique. A real pearl is rarely perfectly round. Synthetic pearls are created to be uniform and identical.
- Weight - real pearls are heavier than their synthetic friends.
- Temperature - real pearls should be cooler to the touch and adjust temp as you wear them. Synthetic pearls stay the same temperature.
There are Four Main Types of Pearls
There are four main pearl types and they vary in terms of size, shape, color, and value.
- Freshwater pearls are mainly grown in rivers and lakes across China. They are the most widely available pearls and as a result, they are sold for an appealing price.
- Japanese Akoya pearls are a variety of saltwater pearls that are arguably best-known in the world. They are produced in Japanese and Chinese waters and feature spherical shapes with a beautiful luster.
- Tahitian pearls - another type of saltwater pearls cultivated in the islands of French Polynesia. Despite sometimes being referred to as black pearls, they also come in beautiful shades of grey, blue, green, and purple.
- South Sea pearls are the largest of all pearls and feature white, cream, and golden hues. They can be found in the waters of Australia and the Philippines.
Pearl Grading
Freshwater pearls
Freshwater pearls range in size from as small as 5mm to as large as 13mm. Pearls below 7mm in size are considered to be on the smaller side, while 7-8mm and 8-9mm are among the more popular sizes selected for necklaces in Freshwater pearls. Anything sized from 9-10mm and above is considered to be above average in size, and such pearls are more rare and valuable.
- A - bottom 60% of harvest (not sold here). Surface has heavy blemishing (more than 50% of surface), poor luster, off-round shape
- AA - top 20% of Harvest. Commonly found at Jewelry Stores and major department stores (not sold here). minor blemishing (70-80% clean surface), medium luster, off-round shape
- AAA - top 10% of a pearl harvest, minor blemishing with at least 90% of the pearl surface clean, high luster, near round to round shape
- AAAA - top 1-2% of a pearl harvest, very minor to no blemishing with at least 95% of the pearl surface clean, very high luster, round shape
Japanese Akoya
Japanese Akoya pearls range in size from as small as 2mm to as large as 10mm. Pearls below 6.0mm in size are considered to be on the smaller side, while anything between 6.0mm and 8.0mm are common sizes selected for pearl jewelry. Akoya pearls sized above 8.0mm are considered to be above average in size, and such pearls are more rare and valuable.
- A - bottom 50% of pearl harvest, heavy blemishing with only a 50% or less clean surface, poor luster, thin nacre, round/off-round shape
- AA - top 60% of harvest, minor to medium blemishing with a 70-80% clean surface, medium luster, medium nacre, round shape
- AA+ - top 5-10% of a pearl harvest, minor blemishing with at least 90% of the pearl surface clean, high luster, thick nacre, perfectly round
- AAA - op 1-5% of a pearl harvest, very minor to no blemishing with at least 95% of the pearl surface clean, very high luster, very thick nacre, perfectly round
- Hanadama - highest 1% of a pearl harvest. Accompanied by a numbered certificate by the Pearl Science Laboratory of Japan, 99% or cleaner pearl surface with either very minor to no blemishes visible, superior luster, superior luster, very thick nacre, perfectly round
Tahitian South Sea Pearls
Tahitian South Sea pearls range in size from as small as 8mm to as large as 20mm in rare cases! Generally, any sizes from 11-12mm and above are considered to be above average. Such pearls are very rare and valuable, especially in higher qualities.
- A - bottom 50% of pearl harvest, flaws on at least 60% of the pearl surface, with 20% containing deep imperfections, poor luster, "D" Quality
- AA - top 60% of harvest, flawless pearl on 40% of its surface, with the remaining 50% having minor imperfections and 10% containing deep flaws, medium luster, "C" Quality
- AAA - top 5-10% of a pearl harvest, flawless pearl on at least 80-85% of its surface, with remaining 15-20% containing only minor imperfections with one or two deep imperfections, high luster, "A/B" Quality
- AAAA - top 1-5% of a pearl harvest, flawless pearl on at least 95% of the pearl surface, with 5% concentrated imperfections, very high luster, "A" Quality
White & Golden South Sea Pearls
White & Golden South Sea pearls range in size from as small as 7-8mm to as large as 20mm in extremely rare pieces. Generally, any sizes from 11-12mm and above are considered to be above average. Such pearls are very rare and valuable, especially in higher qualities.
- A - bottom 50% of pearl harvest, flaws on at least 60% of the pearl surface, with 20% containing deep imperfections, poor luster, "D" Quality
- AA - top 60% of harvest, flawless pearl on 40% of its surface, with the remaining 50% having minor imperfections and 10% containing deep flaws, medium luster, "C" Quality
- AAA - top 5-10% of a pearl harvest, flawless pearl on at least 80-85% of its surface, with remaining 15-20% containing only minor imperfections with one or two deep imperfections, high luster, "A/B" Quality
- AAAA - top 1-5% of a pearl harvest, flawless pearl on at least 95% of the pearl surface, with 5% concentrated imperfections, very high luster, "A" Quality
