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The famous phrase "Diamonds are a girl's best friend" may be true, but there's always a special place in women's heart for pearls - the subtle and modest adornments of femininity. Pearls have been valued and used for jewelry for centuries. Pearls were quite rare before the era of cultured pearls, so they were available for noble people only, but these days they are available for everyone. What should you know before buying pearl necklace or other pearl jewelry?
Buying jewelry might be a hard task if you are not familiar with classification of pearls and requirements applied for them. First of all, take a look at the label, it should provide all the necessary information (type, grade, shape, size etc.). You can choose between natural, cultured and glass pearls. Natural pearls are the most valuable; therefore they are the most expensive. Cultured gems are less valuable but they look just like natural pearls for untrained eye. Glass pearls are imitation used for cheap jewelry. If you choose glass pearls, you should know that the layer of dye is usually very thin and the more you wear/touch the imitation the sooner the luster fades and the dye crumbles.
Natural pearls are pretty rare and jewelry with natural pearls is even rarer. Pearls found on jewelry shop are most likely cultured ones. There are several types of cultured pearls: Akoya, Freshwater pearls, Black Tahitian, White and Gold South Sea pearls. Akoya pearls are classic beauties - they are round, they have reflective luster and they come in traditional silvery-blue, crème and rosy colors. This type is the most treasured and the most popular. Freshwater pearls come in soft pastels as well as in incredible hues. Tahitian pearls offer variety of colors as well but they are mostly known for their bold shapes. White or Golden South Sea pearls are valued for great size as they are much bigger than other cultured pearls. This type is also known for color palette: White and Golden South Sea pearls catch an eye with subtle silver and golden shades.
Unfortunately there's no grading system for all types of pearls, but many vendors have accepted A-AAA grading structure. The "AAA" valuation indicates gems with the best quality and properties. "AA" grade pearls have some comparatively small flaws like fine wrinkles on a surface. "A" level ...
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