About Pearls - general

The GIA has made great strides in getting everyone in the pearl industry on board with a 7-factor pearl classification system:  size, shape, color, luster, surface, matching, and nacre but you'll still see sellers claiming AAAA, AA+ etc.  Diamonds have great rules around the 4 c's and how to explicitly identify quality of each c.  Part of the pearl value is the customer's preference - maybe you prefer baroque over round or colors over white or luster is your thing.  There are some obvious value differences:  a large, perfectly-round, high-gold, high-luster, perfectly matching Golden South Sea pearl set is going to be many times more expensive than a small, misshapen, white, no-luster, pockmarked, unmatched set of Freshwater Pearls. I left off nacre - thickness is tough to judge without cutting into the pearl. Some freshwater pearls are more valuable than salt water.  Know your seller.  Ask questions.  Buy what you like.  Love your pearls.  Wear your pearls.  Take care of your pearls.  Pass your pearls to the next generation.