Pearl Grading

Pearl grading is a key metric to understand before ultimately making your pearl jewelry purchase. Due to a lack of universal grading standards for pearls, its important for consumers to purchase from reputable and trustworthy pearl suppliers that uphold the highest standards for pearl quality. With thousands of positive customer testimonials online, The Pearl Source has earned a reputation for exceeding expectations when it comes to offering high quality pearl jewelry.

Freshwater

Japanese Akoya

Tahitian South Sea

White & Golden South Sea

Freshwater pearls range in size from as small as 5mm to as large as 13mm. Pearls below 7mm in size are considered to be on the smaller side, while 7-8mm and 8-9mm are among the more popular sizes selected for necklaces in Freshwater pearls. Anything sized from 9-10mm and above is considered to be above average in size, and such pearls are more rare and valuable. Please download and print our pearl sizing guide below for more information.

	A	AA	AAA	AAAA
Information	Low Quality Freshwater representing the bottom 60% of pearl harvest. (Not Sold at The Pearl Source)	Medium-Grade Freshwater representing top 20% of Harvest. Commonly found at Jewelry Stores and major department stores (Not Sold at The Pearl Source)	High-Grade Freshwater representing the top 10% of a pearl harvest. Found in Finer Jewelry Stores.	Very High-Grade Freshwater representing the top 1-2% of a pearl harvest.
Surface	Heavy blemishing with only a 50% or less clean surface.	Minor to medium blemishing with a 70-80% clean surface.	Minor blemishing with at least 90% of the pearl surface clean.	Very minor to no blemishing with at least 95% of the pearl surface clean.
Luster	Poor	Medium	High	Very High
Shape	Off Round	Off Round	Near Round to Round	Round

Understanding Pearl Qualities

Understanding the differences between pearl surface, pearl luster, and pearl shape.

	A	AA	AA+	AAA	Hanadama
Information	Low Quality Japanese Akoya representing the bottom 50% of pearl harvest (Not Sold at Pearl Source	Medium-Grade Japanese Akoya representing top 60% of Harvest. Commonly found at jewelry stores and Major Department Stores (Not Sold at Pearl Source)	High-Grade Japanese Akoya representing the top 5-10% of a pearl harvest. Found in Finer Jewelry Stores.	Very High-Grade Japanese Akoya representing the top 1-5% of a pearl harvest.	Gem Quality Japanese Akoya Pearls representing the highest 1% of a pearl harvest. Accompanied by a numbered certificate by the Pearl Science Laboratory of Japan.
Surface	Heavy blemishing with only a 50% or less clean surface.	Minor to medium blemishing with a 70-80% clean surface.	Minor blemishing with at least 90% of the pearl surface clean.	Very Minor to no blemishing with at least 95% of the pearl surface clean.	99% or cleaner pearl surface with either very minor to no blemishes visible.
Luster	Poor	Medium	High	Very High	Superior
Nacre	Thin	Medium	Thick	Very Thick	Very Thick
Shape	Round/Off Round	Round	Perfectly Round	Perfectly Round	Perfectly Round

Difference in Pearl Overtones

Find out more about the 3 pearl overtones of Akoya Pearls: white, rose, and ivory. Shop your dream pearls at The Pearl Source!

Understanding Pearl Qualities

Understanding the differences between pearl surface, pearl luster, and pearl shape.

	A	AA	AAA	AAAA
Information	Low Quality Tahitian representing the bottom 50% of pearl harvest (Not Sold at Pearl Source)	Medium-Grade Tahitian representing top 60% of Harvest. Commonly found at jewelry stores and Major Department Stores (Not Sold at Pearl Source)	High-Grade Tahitian representing the top 5-10% of a pearl harvest. Found in Finer Jewelry Stores.	Very High-Grade Tahitian representing the top 1-5% of a pearl harvest.
Surface	Pearls having flaws on at least 60% of the pearl surface, with 20% containing deep imperfections.	Flawless pearl on 40% of its surface, with the remaining 50% having minor imperfections and 10% containg deep flaws.	Flawless pearl on at least 80-85% of its surface, with remaining 15-20% containing only minor imperfections with one or two deep imperfections.	Flawless pearl on at least 95% of the pearl surface, with 5% concentrated imperfections.
Luster	Poor	Medium	High	Very High
A-D Grading System	"D" Quality	"C" Quality	"A/B" Quality	"A" Quality

Tahitian Pearl Colors

Discover the gorgeous Tahitian Pearl colors: black, green and silver, each with their own charm. Shop your dream pearls at The Pearl Source!

	A	AA	AAA	AAAA
Information	Low Quality South Sea representing the bottom 50% of pearl harvest (Not Sold at Pearl Source	Medium-Grade South Sea representing top 60% of Harvest. Commonly found at jewelry stores and Major Department Stores (Not Sold at Pearl Source)	High-Grade South Sea representing the top 5-10% of a pearl harvest. Found in Finer Jewelry Stores.	Very High-Grade South Sea representing the top 1-5% of a pearl harvest.
Surface	Pearls having flaws on at least 60% of the pearl surface, with 20% containing deep imperfections.	Flawless pearl on 40% of its surface, with the remaining 50% having minor imperfections and 10% containg deep flaws.	Flawless pearl on at least 80-85% of its surface, with remaining 15-20% containing only minor imperfections with one or two deep imperfections.	Flawless pearl on at least 95% of the pearl surface, with 5% concentrated imperfections.
Luster	Poor	Medium	High	Very High
A-D Grading System	"D" Quality	"C" Quality	"A/B" Quality	"A" Quality

Understanding Pearl Qualities

Understanding the differences between pearl surface, pearl luster, and pearl shape.