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.
Buying pearls online can be difficult, especially if you are not familiar with pearl sizes. For those who aren’t sure what pearl diameter they prefer, we have provided these images for comparison purposes.
Pearls are separated into four categories in the shape-sorting process: Round/Semi-Round, Drop, Baroque, and Circle Baroque
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 |
Japanese Akoya pearls range in size from as small as 2mm to as large as 10mm. Pearls below 6.0mm in size are considered to be on the smaller side, while anything between 6.0mm and 8.0mm are common sizes selected for pearl jewelry items on The Pearl Source. Akoya pearls sized above 8.0mm are 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.
AA+
Quality
AAA
Quality
Hanadama
Quality
| A | AA | A+ | AAA | AAAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Round pearls are the most valuable and often most desirable of all pearl shapes. Semi-round pearls are virtually round, and will appear round when strung together as a necklace or bracelet.
Drop pearls are symmetrically extended pearls that frequently take the form a tear-drop. Drop pearls are not only unique, but extremely valuable when found with the perfect “pear-shape.”
Baroque pearls are irregular in shape and at times elongated. Many people love the distinct “character” of baroque-shape pearls. These pearls are frequently found in designer jewelry pieces.
Circle-Baroque pearls are easily distinguished by their unique rings surrounding the pearl. Circle-Baroque shapes are most common in Tahitian and South Sea Pearls. These are generally the most affordable of all pearl-shapes.