I know! It’s hard to shop for the best pearls when you’re not sure what to look for. I’m going to share with you the most important things to look for when shopping for high quality pearls.
Luster
Luster is hands down the most important thing to look for. Luster is really more of a glow, it has a sense of depth to it as opposed to just shine. Luster is an indication of how many layers of nacre the mollusk it grew in produced as well as how well the very tiny transparent crystals that make up the nacre were formed.
Luster is judged from high to low, pearls with high luster will have a bright reflection on the surface and it will look as if it is radiating from inside the layers of the pearl. If you are shopping in person, roll the pearl around to see it the luster is high on all the surfaces of the pearl.
Pearls with low luster will appear chalky and lack depth. Low luster can be an indication of a very thin layer of nacre that may eventually crack and peel, these are usually sold at a low price but an imitation pearl might last longer.
Orient
Orient is the soft play of iridescent color on the surface of the pearl. Orient comes from a very thick nacre and can be seen often in baroque pearls where the nacre has pooled and in all nacre pearls such as keshi pearls. The thick layers of nacre that result in an iridescent orient comes from pearls that have been left to form for a long time.
Large silver pearls with good luster and orient.
Large silver pearls with low luster and orient.
Shape
The rounder the pearl the more valuable it is. It’s very rare to find perfectly round pearls but the closer they get to round the more valuable they are. Symmetry is important when buying tear drop or pear shaped pearls. Uniformity is what you would look for when buying strands of pearls. Matching pearls is extremely difficult and the more you can get together that appear the same the more value the pearls have.
Very nice lustrous round uniform pearls.
Surface Perfection
Almost all pearls are going to have some surface imperfections because they are made by a living creature. Think of our own skin when you look at a pearl’s ‘skin’, most skin has at least a few pimples, bumps, pits and discolorations but when there are too many then the pearls will not be as valuable and you might not want it in your jewelry. (Although I do know people who value those pearls.)
Check ’em out if you can.
If you are able to shop for pearls in person instead of on line, lay the pearls on a flat, soft, light surface under good light and roll them around. Is the luster consistent all around the pearl? Is the shape more round so it rolls easily? Ohh does my heart sing when I get to do this at the gem shows! Nothing more satisfying than rolling the pearls.
To check for surface imperfections, you want to use a darker soft surface as they tend to show up more on a darker background.
This will all help you enormously when you go to shop for that very special pearl! Those sellers will know you are the savvy one for sure.
Anything to add? Questions or comments..please comment below.
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