PEARLS, What You Must Know Before You Buy

The first step is to decide what type of cultured pearl you're interested in and to establish a budget for yourself based on your choice. The most popular pearls used in jewellery today are the Akoya, Black Tahitian, White and Gold South Sea pearls and Freshwater pearls. Each of these pearls exhibits their own unique characteristics that make them beloved the world over.

Akoya pearls are treasured for their breathtaking luster, traditional elegance and infinite versatility. They are the hallmark of the pearl world, exemplifying all that we prize about pearls. With their consistently round shapes, reflective luster and subtle shades of rose, vanilla and ethereal silvery-blues, they will always be the ideal for pearl jewellery. Akoya pearls will always signify grace, style and timelessness.

Tahitian pearls are the exotic newcomers to the world's pearl markets, surprising the international audience with a tantalizing array of bold colors, shapes and sizes. From peacock-like hues to bronze, pistachio green to silvery greys, Tahitian pearls cover a startling spectrum. Unique, free form shapes inspire designers to new heights in jewellery and fashion and the large sizes can always be counted on to make a bold statement.

White or Golden South Sea pearls jewellery from Australia and Indonesia is sure to capture everyone's attention. Available in a subtle array of tones from the palest moonlight to molten gold, these pearls display soft, satiny luster that just begs to be touched! Celebrated by collectors all over the world for the amazingly large sizes, these pearls attain- nearly jewellery made with these wonders from 'Down Under' are a distinctive and sophisticated choice!

Cultured round freshwater pearls are the latest addition to the pearl world and receiving the biggest nod from pearl aficionados today. Freshwater pearls come in an assortment of soft pastel colors suggestive of spring, vibrancy and youth. Peach, lavender, pink and white shades are primary hues with dramatic black and peacock colors, bringing up the other end of the spectrum. They are a fresh and very affordable alternative to the traditional Akoya pearl.

Unfortunately, the pearl world has not yet to come up with a universally-accepted grading system that takes into account all the different types of pearls; the origin, shapes, size, color and luster. Because pearls are a very diverse group of gems, most of them need to be evaluated on an individual basis in order to determine true worth. While shopping, keep in mind that pearls are created by nature and as such are imperfect and will have inclusions in some form or another.

• A/A+:

  "A" quality is the lowest quality that is still commercially available. They will usually be somewhat off-shape, close to round but not quite and if in a strand, only moderately well-matched. Typically these pearls will have a somewhat chalky appearance and will exhibit very little reflective capability. The surface quality will have wrinkles, small cracks, white or brownish spots, dimples and other undesirable characteristics that can affect the long-term wearability of the pearls, causing the nacre to peel and wear away over time and expose the bead nucleus beneath. With an 'A' quality pearl, the surface inclusions should not cover more than 30% of the pearls surface.

• AA:

  This is a much nicer pearl. This quality is typified by less than 15% surface inclusions and will have fair to good luster. The shape will be round or in the case of freshwater pearls, near-round and the matching job should be well done.

• AA+:

  The luster in this quality will be slightly sharper than the "AA" pearl. Surface inclusions will be down to 10% and typically these will take the form of small wrinkles, flat areas or small whitish or brownish spots where the conchiolin may have accumulated under the surface of the nacre. These pearls will be true rounds in shape and well-matched.

• AAA:

  This is the 'gem-quality' pearl, exemplified with less than 5% inclusions over the surface of the pearl, and sometimes completely free of inclusions. Luster will vary slightly from pearl to pearl, , but it will slightly sharper than the AA+ qualities. The nacre will be at its' thickest and should present a luminescent surface that is captivating to behold. The shapes and matching of a strand of rounds should be excellent with little to no variation.