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Pearl Grading Overview

Unlike diamonds and other gems or stones, there is no set standard for grading pearls. Each dealer could (and most likely does) have a different standard for their pearl grades.

Because of the variation in pearl grading, it is important that each jeweler explain what their grades mean.

National Pearl uses the A letter system used by most pearl jewelers to grade pearls. Grading goes from the lowest quality of A to the highest quality of AAA. We also offer the very highest end of the AAA grade in some pearl sizes which we call our "National Treasure Collection". We invite you to compare the quality of our "National Treasure Collection" Akoya Saltwater Pearls with "Hanadama" or Mikimoto brand pearls.
Pearl Grading Criteria

Everyone at National Pearl has received pearl grading training from the Gemological Institute of America (G.I.A.). As is their instruction, we grade our pearls on the following factors:
Luster The luster of a pearl is its shine, brilliance, or reflectivity. High quality pearls will have almost a mirror-like reflection, while lower quality pearls appear chalky.
Shape Pearls come in a variety of shapes, from baroque to perfectly round. Rounder pearls hold a higher value in most cases.
Surface Quality 99% of all pearls will have surface imperfections. High quality pearls have very few and are light. These include small surface texture changes and tiny dimples. Very low quality pearls have easily visible flaws that may include deep grooves, holes and cracks.
Matching When making a necklace or bracelet, matching all of the pearls on a strand for all of the factors listed here (luster, shape, surface quality, nacre and color) substantially impacts the jewelry's beauty and value.
Nacre The nacre on a cultured pearl is the natural outer shell that is created by the host oyster or mollusk. Thicker nacre provides for higher luster and longer life. High quality Akoya Saltwater pearls have a nacre thickness of 0.5 to 1.0 millimeters surrounding the implanted bead nucleus.
Akoya Saltwater Pearl Quality Guide
  AA+ AAA National Treasure
Selection: Top 5% of Harvest Top 1% of Harvest Best of Harvest
Luster: Very Good Excellent Extremely Lustrous
Shape: Round Round Round
Surface: 90-95% Clean 95+% Clean 99% Clean
Matching: Excellent Excellent Excellent
Nacre: Thick Thick Very Thick
Freshwater Pearl Quality Guide
  AA+ AAA  
Luster: Very Good Excellent  
Shape: Near Round to Round Near Round to Round  
Surface: 90-95% Clean 95+% Clean  
Matching: Excellent Excellent  
Nacre: Thick Thick  
Tahitian & South Sea Pearl Quality Guide
  AA+ AAA  
Luster: Very Good Excellent  
Shape: Near Round to Round Round  
Surface: 90-95% Clean 95+% Clean  
Matching: Excellent Excellent  
Nacre: Thick Thick  
National Treasure Collection Multi-Color Tahitians
Luster: Excellent    
Shape: Near Round to Round    
Surface: 95% Clean    
Matching: Artistic    
Nacre: Thick    
National Treasure Collection Single Color Tahitians
Selection: Absolute Best of Harvest (Gem Quality)
Luster: Extremely Lustrous    
Shape: Round    
Surface: 99%+ Clean    
Matching: Excellent    
Nacre: Thick    
Exceptions to 'shape' category exist when pearl type is intrinsically not round, such as in the case of button pearls and coin pearls, for example.

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