Know Your Cultured Pearl Types

This holiday whether you’re looking for classic white pearls, cream or a more unique greenish gray, the pearl color palette extends to every hue. Different cultured pearl varieties produce different colors:

• Akoya pearls come from Japan, China, and Vietnam and are usually cream or white, some with hints of pink or green.

• South Sea pearls can be silver, white or golden.

• Tahitian pearls come in striking colors like eggplant purple, peacock green, metallic grey, and greyish blue.

• Freshwater pearls are cultivated mostly in China and are abundant, coming in a wide range of sizes, shapes, and colors, including yellow, pink, and purple.

Although GIA is most recognized as the world’s foremost authority in diamond grading, it has been a leader in the identification and classification of natural and cultured pearls since 1949.

GIA has contributed to the revision of the FTC’s pearl guidelines for the jewelry industry and is responsible for working with major pearl companies globally to develop comprehensive standards for describing pearls. These standards are the GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors™: Size, Shape, Color, Nacre, Luster, Surface, and Matching.

Size

Pearl measurements are stated in millimeters, rounded to the nearest 0.5 mm. Trade members measure the diameter of drilled individual spherical pearls perpendicular to the drill hole and state that measurement as its size. For individual pearls of any other shape, measurements consist of length and width, and sometimes depth.

Shape

A perfectly round pearl that excels in every applicable value factor is a truly beautiful thing. But it’s also extremely rare. The GIA Pearl Description System recognizes seven standard pearl shapes: round, near-round, oval, button, drop, semi-baroque and baroque.

Color

The GIA system recognizes 19 pearl hues, which are divided into warm hues and cool hues. Pearl color might be described as “dark green-gray with blue overtone,” “strong orangy yellow,” “bluish green,” or “silver with orient.”

Nacre

Nacre quality is determined by its thickness and the regularity of its layers. The GIA Pearl Description System classifies three categories of nacre quality: acceptable, nucleus visible and chalky appearance. Nacre can be composed of aragonite, calcite, and conchiolin.

Luster

Luster is the intensity and sharpness of the light reflected from a pearl’s surface. Nacreous pearls display varying degrees of luster, while non-nacreous pearls have a softer shine.

Surface and Matching.

Matching applies when two or more pearls are sorted for uniformity and used in a strand or other jewelry item. For graduated strands, it applies to the consistency of the size progression as well as the harmony of the other five value factors.