Buyer's Guide

Important Questions to Ask When Buying Pearls

1. What is the difference between natural, cultured and imitation pearls?

Natural pearls are those pearls which are formed in nature, more or less by chance, by a parasite or a piece of food lodging itself in the gonad or mantle tissue of a host oyster.

Cultured pearls by contrast, are those in which humans take a helping hand. By actually inserting a foreign object into the tissue of an oyster or mollusc, pearl farmers can induce the creation of a pearl. The same natural process of pearl creation takes place. The only difference is that in the one case, the process was begun accidentally; while in the other case, it was begun intentionally. Imitation pearls are artificial manufactured "pearls". They have no real value as a gemstone.

Imitation pearls can be made from glass, ceramic, shell or even plastic beads. The bead is coated with varnish and/or other materials in order to produce a pearl-like lustre and iridescence. Generally they are sold under descriptive terms such as "faux", "simulated", "artificial" or "man-made". Sometimes regional names are also used: "Mallorca pearls", "Red Sea pearls", "Laguna pearls" etc.

At Pearl Hunter we deal only in genuine, high quality cultured pearls.

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2. How much should I expect to pay for my pearls?

Pearls are eternally fashionable, very versatile and can be worn with any style. Therefore, you should not compromise on the quality of your pearl jewellery. You should always purchase the best quality pearls you can afford within your budget. Fine quality pearls need not cost the earth.

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3. Is there a recognised grading system for overall quality?

There is not an industry-wide grading system for pearls or pearl jewellery; many pearl companies use the A, AA, AAA system for Akoya pearls or A, B, C or D for South Sea or Tahitian to grade cultured pearls on overall quality (see Pearl Grading).

Pearl Hunter only offers pearls of the finest quality i.e. Grade AAA Akoya or Grade A South Sea or Tahitian pearls .

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4. How important is the shape of the pearls?

Because pearls are natural organic substances they can occur in a wide variety of shapes, many of which are quite unique and interesting. The round pearls you most commonly see are by no means the only shape in which pearls are found.

Perfectly round pearls are actually quite rare. This is because the eventual shape of the pearl is determined by a number of highly variable factors which occur inside the oyster as the pearl is developing. For example the pearl often assumes the same shape as its nucleus (the irritant which was placed inside the oyster to initiate the formation of the pearl). If the nucleus is not perfectly round, the resulting pearl is likely to reflect this irregularity. In addition the pearl's positioning within the oyster also plays a role in determining its shape. If the pearl develops against the shell, for example, it will become more flattened on that side.

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5. Do the pearls exhibit good lustre?

Pearl lustre is essentially the reflective quality or brilliance of the surface of the pearl nacre. The more lustrous the pearl, the more it shines and reflects light and images. In general saltwater pearls tend to have greater lustre than freshwater pearls. Pearls with low lustre appear white or chalky, rather than brilliant and shiny.

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6. How important is the cleanliness of the pearl surface?

When pearl grading, the appearance of the surface of a pearl is one of the most important characteristics in determining its overall desirability and value. Ideally, the pearl's surface should be smooth, clean and shiny. It should have few, if any, bumps, abrasions, cracks or other surface flaws.

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7. What are the sizes of the pearls?

Size is a key determining factor in the price of pearls. A pearl's size is measured according to its diameter in millimetres. Sizes range from 1 millimetre or less in the case of very tiny pearls to as much as 20 millimetres (more than 3/4") for the largest black Tahitian pearls. The largest black pearl ever found was about 25 millimetres (just about one inch across) in diameter.

Most pearls sold today are in the 7.0 - 7.5millimetre range. Akoya pearls greater than 8 millimetres are considered extremely rare. (The largest pearl an Akoya oyster can produce is around 9 or 10 millimetres.) Pearls larger than 10 millimetres are generally not Akoya pearls, but are instead black Tahitians, white South Sea pearls or large freshwater pearls.

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8. How important is the pearl matching?

Because pearls are natural organic substances, no two of them are identical. Therefore when a piece of pearl jewellery contains more than one pearl, some effort must be taken to insure that the pearls all match in an aesthetically pleasing fashion.

"Matching" here does not mean that all of the pearls are absolutely identical -- that would be impossible! Nor does it even mean that all of the pearls in the piece are generally uniform in size, shape, and colour. It basically means that the pearls "fit together" in a pleasing manner and that variations among them are either minimal, gradual or for a specific purpose. For example, a long strand of pearls may have a large pearl in the centre, with pearls which grow gradually smaller strung along either side. Or a strand may consist of pearls in alternating or gradually changing colours. In any of these examples, the pearls are considered well-matched if the resulting piece is uniform and consistent, rather than haphazard-looking.

In the same way pearl earrings, bracelets, pendants, pearl rings, etc. - any piece which contains more than a single pearl - are generally matched to achieve greater beauty and value. If the piece consists of contrasting colours (such as a two-pearl, black-and-white ring), the matching will take into account the size, shape and lustre of the respective pearls, even though their colours are quite different. Pearl matching is really an art in itself. It requires a good eye, good judgement and a great deal of time and effort to match pearls effectively. Indeed, a strand made completely from natural pearls (rather than from cultured pearls) can require years to collect a well-matched set of pearls! Clearly good matching greatly adds to the quality and value of any piece of multi-pearl jewellery.

At Pearl Hunter we take extra care to match the pearls in each piece of jewellery.

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