This collection includes a palette of beautiful cultured pearls. In addition to round, white, and golden cultured pearls, there is a well-assorted round white pearl bead and a bead of pearls with pastel, oval colors.
The qualities that determine the general value of a natural or cultured pearl or pearl jewelry are the size, shape, color, gloss, surface quality, quality of the mother of pearl, and for jewelry with two or more pearls, the fit.
Size : When other value factors are equal, larger pearls are rarer and more valuable than smaller pearls of the same type.
The mollusk, which produces pearls grown in the South Sea, is larger than the mollusk, which produces pearls grown in Japanese salt water. This leads to a higher potential for the appearance of pearls of larger sizes . (picture taken GIA.com)
Cultured pearls come in a variety of sizes, and pearls grown from the South Sea are coveted for their large sizes. – (picture taken GIA.com, Paspaley).
Shape : The round is the most difficult shape to culture, making it the rarest form of cultured pearl and – all other factors being equal – also generally the most valuable. There are exceptions, however. Pearls grown in the shape of a pear, oval, or baroque (irregular in shape) are also highly valued by lovers of pearls.
The different types of pearls are mounted on strings when classifying the shape Cultured Japanese saltwater pearls are held to the strictest form standards. From top to bottom, these strands are classified as round, almost round, semi-baroque, and baroque. (picture taken GIA.com)
Color : Natural and cultured pearls appear in a wide range of shades. There are warm shades like yellow, orange, and pink and cold shades like blue, green, and purple. Pearls have a wide range of tones, from light to dark. The colors of the pearls tend to be blurred, with a subtle quality.
These pearls of Japanese culture show the white color that most consumers associate with pearls. – (picture taken GIA.com, courtesy of Paljoue International Inc.)
Cultivated pearls can come in a variety of amazing colors. These cultured pearls are of salt water from Tahiti and have a color intensity that is almost like neon lights. – (picture taken GIA.com, courtesy of Frank Mastoloni & Sons, Inc.)
The color of the beads can have three components. Bodycolor (Pearl body color) is the overall dominant color of the pearl. Tone colors is one or more translucent colors that lie over the color of the body of a pearl. The east is a glow of iridescent rainbow colors on or just below the surface of a pearl. All pearls show color, but only some have tones, orientations or both.
These natural pearls from French Polynesia are dark gray to black in color. The pearl in the middle shows a pink and green orientation, while the tone of the pearl on the left is mostly green.
The law of supply and demand determines the value of certain colors of pearls at a given time. If the reserves of high-quality pearls that have a favorite color are low, their prices can rise to unusually high levels. Other complex factors, such as fashion trends and cultural traditions, can influence color preferences. (picture taken GIA.com)
Gloss : Of the seven pearl value factors, gloss might be the most important. Gloss is what gives a natural pearl or culture its unique beauty.
- Excellent – Reflections appear bright and clear
- Very good – Reflections appear bright and almost sharp
- Good – Reflections are bright, but not sharp, and slightly blurry around the edges
- Correct – Reflections are weak and unclear
- Weak – Reflections are weak and diffuse
Within a type of pearl, when other value factors are equal, the higher the gloss, the more valuable the pearl.
From top to bottom, these Japanese cultured pearls show excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor luster. The differences in the clarity of the reflections between each string are subtle but still visible. (picture taken GIA.com)
Pearls grown by the saltwater of the South Sea often have a beautiful satin luster. – (picture taken from GIA.com, courtesy of King Plutarco, Inc.
Surface Quality: like colored stones, most pearls never reach perfection Some may experience abrasions that look like a series of scratches on the surface, or a flattened section that does not affect its base shape or an irregular ridge that looks like a crease or wrinkle.
If the characteristics of the surface are numerous or severe, they can affect the durability of the pearl and severely depress its value. Surface characteristics have less effect on the beauty and value of the pearl if they are few in number or if they are small enough to be hidden by a hole or mounting.
Luster Quality: Gloss and luster quality are closely related. If the nucleus is visible under the nostril or if the pearl has a dull, creamy appearance, you can assume that the mother of the pearl is thin. This affects the gloss, as well as the durability of the pearl.
The good quality of the necar often leads to an attractive sheen, like the luster of these beautiful pearls of multicolored Tahitian culture. – (image taken from GIA.com, courtesy of Armand Ascher Pearls, NY)
Matching : jewelry designers sometimes deliberately mix colors, shapes, and sizes for unique effects, but for most pearl necklaces, earrings, or other multi-pearl jewelry, the pearls should meet all the quality factors.
The string of white cultured pearls from the South Sea is suitable for all value factors. Even with its assorted shades, the multi-colored strand is also considered well-matched.
(photo taken GIA.com, courtesy of Armand Ascher Pearls, NY)
