What is the highest grade pearl?

This grading system ranks pearls from AAA to A, with AAA being the highest.

• AAA: Nearly flawless pearls with a high luster and a surface that's 95 percent free of defects.
• AA: High luster with a surface that's 75 percent free of defects.
• A: Lower luster and defects on more than 25 percent of the surface.

What makes a pearl high quality?

Best quality pearls are determined by luster, nacre thickness and quality (the outer layer), color, surface perfection, shape, and size. The biggest factor of pearl quality is nacre thickness and quality which determines how long the pearl will last.

How is pearl quality rated?

The A-AAA system evaluates pearls according to Surface Quality, Luster, and perfection of Shape (roundness and symmetry). Akoya pearls are also graded on Nacre Thickness, which is a visual inspection completed by the grader rather than via x-ray analysis.

Which pearl produce good quality of pearls?

The best quality of pearl is known as Lingha pearl obtained from marine oysters.

How to Grade and Value Pearls: The 5 S's

What does grade AAA mean for pearls?

AAA Flawless pearl on at least 80-85% of its surface, with the remaining 15-20% containing only minor imperfections with one or two deep imperfections. AAAA Flawless pearl on at least 95% of the pearl surface, with 5% having slight concentrated imperfections. Luster. A Poor. AA Medium.

Are Akoya pearls better than freshwater?

When compared to other varieties, such as Tahitian and South Sea, Akoya pearls definitely offer good value for money without compromising on beauty. Freshwater pearls lack the deep, beautiful gleam of an Akoya. However, the palette of colors and attractive pricing makes them a great option for many people.

What is expensive pearl?

South Sea pearls are considered the most valuable. They are also the largest pearl variety on the market. A strand of South Sea pearls can range from $1,000 to over $100,000.

What color pearl is the most valuable?

The larger size makes South Sea pearls and black pearls the most valuable type of pearl. On Mikimoto's website, this strand of South Sea cultured pearls is selling for $32,000. The other notable difference between pearl types is the color.

Which Colour pearl is best?

The most classic and widely preferred pearl color is white. The white pearl is considered a symbol of purity, and is often associated with wedding and graduation celebrations.

Is Akoya pearl good?

The Akoya pearl is known for its superb luster and its perfectly round shape. Akoyas also have a beautiful color consistency, making them often the pearl of choice for a woman's first strand of pearls.

Are AAA pearls good?

For AAA round pearls, surface luster in such a pearl is very high and 95% of surface will be free from any defect. AAAAA is the highest quality of pearl known and is expensive and exclusive, while AAA is the highest quality of non-round shape pearls.

What grade are Tiffany pearls?

Tiffany does not have it's own grading system (at least one that it publicly acknowledges), but Tiffany strands are generally AA quality on the Mikimoto grading standard and Tiffany prices its strands directly in line with with Mikimoto AA strands (which would be $5,400 for an 18" 7x7. 5mm strand).

How do I identify Akoya pearls?

For Akoya pearls, you'll mainly notice pin prick blemishes, lighter or darker areas of organic conchiolin build up visible just under the surface crystal, and small, white wrinkles in the surface nacre. Freshwater Pearl Inclusions are mostly dull white "chalky spots" and subtle ridges on the pearl surfaces.

What is the best quality for South Sea pearls?

Wide Variety of Pearl Shapes: As with all other pearl types, perfectly round pearls are the most highly valued, but both White and Golden South Sea pearls have a very wide variety of pearl shapes to choose from including baroques, drops, ovals, buttons and free-form baroques.

What are the best pearls?

White South Sea and Golden South Sea pearls are the most sought-after cultured versions of the gems in the world. That's because they are the rarest, and offer the most luster and greatest pearls sizes. Both Golden South Sea and White South Sea pearls are cultivated in saltwater.

What is C grade pearl?

Grade C : Smooth surface on 40%. Medium luster at minimum. Grade D : Weak luster, Small imperfections on more than 60% There are other secondary criteria that define the surface quality of the pearl, the basic color, the secondary tints etc...

Which country pearl is best?

Japan is the acknowledged leader in Akoya pearl production – known to produce the best, most consistently beautiful Akoya pearls in the world.

What are the 4 general types of pearls?

There are four main types of pearls that come in a variety of shapes, colours, and sizes.

• Freshwater pearls. Freshwater pearls are the most common and least expensive. ...
• Akoya pearls. Deemed the classic pearl, these come to mind when you think about the perfect pearl. ...
• Tahitian black pearls. ...
• South Sea pearls.

What is the price of 1 gram pearl?

The cost of 1 gram A-grade freshwater pearl can be as low as INR 40. The cost of 1-gram highest quality freshwater pearl (AAA) is about INR 250.

What does the name Akoya mean?

The Japanese term for natural or cultured pearls that come from the akoya-gai mollusk.

What is the difference between Akoya and South Sea pearls?

South Sea Pearls of 9.5 – 10.5 mm sizes are more common. But the smaller Akoya oyster has a hard time producing a pearl as large as 9.5 – 10.5 mm, making these pearls much rarer, hence the higher price. Akoya Pearls are preferred for someone wanting a bright white/pink lustrous strand in this “overlap” size range.

Are Akoya pearls fresh or saltwater?

The akoya pearl is a saltwater cultured pearl from the akoya oyster (Pinctada fucata martensii). Because akoya are the most abundant type of saltwater pearl with the longest cultured history, information on akoyas is abundant!