My last post was about colour and its importance as a value factor. As you can imagine, surface quality plays a very important role in determining value because of its direct impact on lustre.  A clean pearl (blemish-free) is a rare treat indeed.

Surface quality is divided into four classifications:

Clean – as mentioned above, blemish-free or blemishes so small that they’re very hard to see, even with a trained eye

Lightly Blemished – minor surface imperfections; still not easy to detect

Moderately blemished – noticeable imperfections

Heavily blemished – obvious imperfections; they jump right out at you

Here are some examples of Surface Characteristics (AKA flaws), most of which are self-explanatory:

• Abrasion
• Bump
• Chip
• Crack
• Flat (a small flat area that doesn’t affect the shape too much)
• Gap (where the nacre doesn’t completely cover the bead nucleus)
• Pit
• Scratch
• Spot
• Wrinkle (yes, pearls have them too)

Flaws such as chips, gaps and cracks are considered to be serious because they not only affect the beauty of the pearl, but may also affect durability. These flaws can lower the value of pearls significantly.

Unlike diamonds, pearls are always graded with the naked eye rather than under magnification. A pearl is, after all, the product of a living creature, and for that we allow a certain latitude.

Interesting fact: small imperfections are often located by the drill holes of pearls in a necklace so they’re not as noticeable, or hidden completely by the setting as in a ring, earrings or pendant.

Remaining pearl value factors will be discussed in future blogs. Stay tuned next month when I’ll cover Nacre Quality and how it relates to value. Until then, live long and wear pearls! (My apologies to Mr. Spock)

October’s post was about shape and its importance as a value factor. Colour is another factor where your own personal taste should influence your buying decision rather than what’s the most valuable – but that’s just my opinion. Everyone has their own priorities, and that, as Martha would say, is a good thing.

Here are the characteristics of pearl colour.

Body colour – the overall, dominant colour

Body colour is the first thing you notice about a pearl’s colour. It may be a neutral colour like white, grey or black; or near-neutral like silver, cream or brown; or subtle hues of pink, purple, yellow, orange, green or blue. Natural pearl hues are never vivid or intense, but soft and muted. Often a deeper hue may result in a more valuable colour because of the rarity aspect: rarity equals monetary value – not always, of course, just mostly.

If you see a fuchsia, lime green or navy blue pearl, trust me, it’s dyed. And there’s nothing at all wrong with a dyed pearl just as long as you know it’s dyed when you buy it, and you pay accordingly. All other factors being equal, a dyed pearl will always be less expensive than a natural-coloured pearl.

Overtone – a subtle, translucent colour or colours that appear on the surface

Overtone is a soft blush of colour that allows the body colour to be seen beneath.  Overtones may be blue, green, silver or pink, which is known as rosé.  Some pearls have a combination of overtones, and some display none at all. A rosé overtone may add to value.

Orient – iridescent hues across the surface

Orient is more intense than overtone; it’s like the rainbow of colours you see on a soap bubble.  You’re more likely to see orient on baroque pearls with an irregular surface and on pearls with a thick layer of nacre. Technically, it’s a prismatic effect caused by a combination of light reflection, refraction and diffraction. I really try not to wade too deeply into scientific waters, but sometimes I can’t help myself.

Colour as a value factor can be any colour that appeals to the consumer. Rarity, fashion trends and cultural preferences all play roles in colour value.  Overtone and orient are usually a plus, but not always. So there you have it, as a value factor it’s not as clearly defined as lustre and shape. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: buy the pearl jewellery you’re drawn to and you’ll be happy with your purchase.

Remaining pearl value factors will be discussed in future blogs. Stay tuned next month when I’ll cover Surface Quality and how it relates to value.

Interesting fact: almost every white pearl on the market today has been bleached to make it so.

September’s post was about lustre and its importance as a value factor. Lustre is, without question, the most important characteristic of a pearl. The remaining value factors aren’t in any particular order because this is where personal taste comes into play. I can tell you what shapes influence monetary value of a pearl, but I can’t tell you what pearl shapes should appeal to you.

Here are the shapes in value order.

Round/spherical – always a favourite because it’s traditional and the rarest shape

Near-round – just slightly out of round, perhaps a little flattened or elongated

Symmetrical – one half is a mirror image of the other half

• oval: a rounded oblong
• button: a circular shape that is flattened or slightly flattened, usually, but not always, on one side
• drop: a rounded pear shape

Semi-baroque – non-symmetrical and slightly irregular

• off-round
• slightly irregular oval, button or drop

Baroque – noticeably irregular shape

Fancy – coin, cross, stick, heart, star, navette, etc. (these pearls always have a shaped nucleus in the centre that gives them their shape)

All other factors being equal, a round or symmetrical pearl will always be more expensive than a baroque shape.

It’s not uncommon to see a pearl with rings (grooves or ridges) around its circumference. This characteristic is known as circled or cerclé (everything sounds nicer in French). Rings can be found on near-round and symmetrical shapes, and do not add value to the pearl.

My best advice, when selecting pearls, is to choose the shape you’re drawn to, and you’ll be happy with your purchase. My own personal favourites are baroque and circled pearls, but I never met a pearl I didn’t like.

Remaining pearl value factors will be discussed in future blogs. Stay tuned next month when I’ll cover Pearl Colour and how it relates to value.

Interesting fact: the original definition of baroque is “imperfect pearl”.

Value factors are characteristics of a pearl that give it monetary value.  They’re what you should keep in mind when shopping for pearl jewellery in order to feel confident that you’re receiving good value for the dollars you’re spending.  There are seven value factors: lustre, shape, size, colour, surface quality, nacre quality and matching. 

Lustre is far and away the most important value factor.  A pearl with poor lustre is like a diamond that doesn’t sparkle.  Why would you buy such a gem?  Lustre is the measure of the quantity and quality of light that is reflected from the surface, or slightly beneath the surface of a pearl. Technically, lustre is caused by light traveling down through the translucent layers of nacre (see my previous blog post “What the heck is nacre?”) and reflecting back to the eye.  It is sometimes described as sheen or glow. To me, it’s what makes a pearl like no other gem: magical. 

How to judge lustre 

Judging lustre is not difficult. It’s simply a matter of looking at the way light reflects from the pearl.  There are four categories of lustre based on the appearance of reflected light:

Excellent – reflections are bright with sharp edges (you can see your reflection)

Good – reflections are bright but the edges are not as sharp (somewhat hazy)

Fair – reflections are weak, hazy and blurred

Poor – reflections are dim and diffused 

Lighting is a very important consideration when judging pearl quality. Daylight is best. Take pearls to a window if possible, or, at the very least, take them away from halogen lights. Halogen lighting enhances the appearance of all jewellery. That’s why almost every jewellery store is equipped with it.  

Remaining pearl value factors will be discussed in future blogs. Stay tuned next month when I’ll cover Pearl Shape and how it relates to value. 

Interesting fact: extremely poor quality pearls that cannot be used in jewellery are sold to cosmetic or pharmaceutical companies where they’re finely ground and used in products.