How is a pearls quality determined?
There are many things affecting a pearl’s quality. Usually seven categories are used. Size: Usually the bigger the better but this also depends on the type of pearls. Fresh water pearls and sea water pearls are smaller than South Sea and Tahitian pearls. A fresh water pearl’s normal size is up to 7.5mm, a 10mm fresh water pearl is extremely large and valuable while a South Sea pearl at 10mm is considered small. South Sea pearls and Tahitian pearls are the biggest ones and are quite common in sizes up to 15mm, however, the larger pearls can get very expensive. Shape: Shape matters – the rounder the pearl, the more valuable but this is really up to personal taste. Tear drop shaped pearls are less valuable but very popular for pendants as the shape looks very beautiful. South Sea and Tahitian pearls are rounder than fresh water pearls thus making a strand of perfectly round fresh water pearls very valuable. Many women love the semi-round fresh water button pearls and a strand of these is
