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Pearl Price factors
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The latest GIA Pearl description system now lists just four categories of luster:
• Good-Reflections are bright but not sharp, and they are slightly hazy around the edges
• Fair-Reflections are weak, hazy, and blurred
• Poor-Reflections are dim and diffused
As you shop for pearls and examine them for luster, keep in mind that the pearl industry has not yet adopted a standardized system for grading pearls. What one jeweler considers low or fair luster another might call medium or good luster. Therefore, don't rely just on word descriptions of pearls. What your eyes see is what counts most. Verbal descriptions are merely guides. If you have any strands of pearls at home, it's a good idea to take them along and use them as a basis for comparison. Even pearl dealers rely on comparison strands when buying pearls.
Also keep in mind the following tips when shopping:
• Examine the strands on a flat white surface, e.g. a white cloth, board or paper. Luster can be hard to judge when pearls are on a dark surface or suspended.
• Look at the light reflections on the pearls. Usually, the less sharp and intense they are, the lower the luster. Sometimes, however, a lack of sharpness is due to surface blemishes, rather than the overall luster.
• If possible, examine the pearls directly under a light instead of away from the light. This helps bring out their luster. (Lighting is discussed more in detail in the next section).
• Look for the brightest and darkest areas of the pearls. Then compare the contrast between the two. The lower the contrast and the milkier the pearl, the lower the luster. This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to spot low and very low luster. Milky-looking pearls are sometimes sold in "high quality" stores. Be aware that their luster is low.
• Compare the luster of the individual pearls on the strand. They will almost always vary somewhat in luster. The luster quality of a strand is determined by its overall appearance, not just by one pearl. High-luster strands, however, should not have low- and very-low-luster pearls. If you find a strand you like that happens to have a pearl or two with an obviously lower luster than the rest of the strand, ask the salesperson to have them changed when they are strung with a clasp.
• Roll the pearls slightly so you can see their entire surface. The luster not only varies from pearl to pearl. It varies on each pearl.
• Try the pearls on and check if you can see the highlighted spots on them from a distance (say 10 feet/3 meters). You'll be able to if the pearls are of good quality.
• If possible, lay the pearls alongside other strands and compare the lusters. This is most effective when you already know the relative quality of the comparison strands. Keep in mind that your impression of a strand will be affected by the pearls it is compared to. A strand will look better when viewed next to lower-luster strands than next to those of higher luster.
Sometimes buyers get so involved in examining the shape and blemishes of pearls that they overlook their luster. The Japan Pearl Exporters' Association would consider this a big mistake. According to their booklet Cultured Pearls, "The most important value point in pearls of equal size is luster because that is what gives a pearl its beauty".
As you shop for pearls and examine them for luster, keep in mind that the pearl industry has not yet adopted a standardized system for grading pearls. What one jeweler considers low or fair luster another might call medium or good luster. Therefore, don't rely just on word descriptions of pearls. What your eyes see is what counts most. Verbal descriptions are merely guides. If you have any strands of pearls at home, it's a good idea to take them along and use them as a basis for comparison. Even pearl dealers rely on comparison strands when buying pearls.
Also keep in mind the following tips when shopping:
• Examine the strands on a flat white surface, e.g. a white cloth, board or paper. Luster can be hard to judge when pearls are on a dark surface or suspended.
• Look at the light reflections on the pearls. Usually, the less sharp and intense they are, the lower the luster. Sometimes, however, a lack of sharpness is due to surface blemishes, rather than the overall luster.
• If possible, examine the pearls directly under a light instead of away from the light. This helps bring out their luster. (Lighting is discussed more in detail in the next section).
• Look for the brightest and darkest areas of the pearls. Then compare the contrast between the two. The lower the contrast and the milkier the pearl, the lower the luster. This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to spot low and very low luster. Milky-looking pearls are sometimes sold in "high quality" stores. Be aware that their luster is low.
• Compare the luster of the individual pearls on the strand. They will almost always vary somewhat in luster. The luster quality of a strand is determined by its overall appearance, not just by one pearl. High-luster strands, however, should not have low- and very-low-luster pearls. If you find a strand you like that happens to have a pearl or two with an obviously lower luster than the rest of the strand, ask the salesperson to have them changed when they are strung with a clasp.
• Roll the pearls slightly so you can see their entire surface. The luster not only varies from pearl to pearl. It varies on each pearl.
• Try the pearls on and check if you can see the highlighted spots on them from a distance (say 10 feet/3 meters). You'll be able to if the pearls are of good quality.
• If possible, lay the pearls alongside other strands and compare the lusters. This is most effective when you already know the relative quality of the comparison strands. Keep in mind that your impression of a strand will be affected by the pearls it is compared to. A strand will look better when viewed next to lower-luster strands than next to those of higher luster.
Sometimes buyers get so involved in examining the shape and blemishes of pearls that they overlook their luster. The Japan Pearl Exporters' Association would consider this a big mistake. According to their booklet Cultured Pearls, "The most important value point in pearls of equal size is luster because that is what gives a pearl its beauty".
