1. Look at the gloss:

The so-called 'luster and radiance' - luster is the soul of pearls.Pearls with no light or little light lack aura. To look at the light, you should place the pearls flat on a soft white cloth, and you can see the warm luster flowing out of the pearls; when looking at the light, you can see that good pearls emit colorful iridescent light, with rich and changing layers, and can also be seen. If you see a spherical surface with a metallic texture, it can even reflect people's pupils. Those that are particularly bright can be classified as Class A, followed by Class B. Zhongze level quality requirements, extremely strong A means the reflected light is extremely bright, sharp, uniform, the surface is like a mirror, and the image is very clear; strong B means the reflected light is bright, sharp, uniform, and the image is very clear; medium C means the reflected light is bright, and objects can be seen on the surface Image; Weak D The reflected light is weak and the object can be seen on the surface, but the image is blurry.

【Image source: Harold Finkle Your Jeweler】

Second, look at the defects:

The fewer acne, spots, marks, pits, and spots on the surface, the better. Generally, no blemishes can be seen from a distance of 0.5 meters as an acceptable standard. The standard for grade A is that the surface is 100% smooth and no flaws can be seen with the naked eye. Of course, the flaws that are difficult to see with a magnifying glass are the best of the best. The polish level of marine cultured pearls, the polish level, and the quality requirements are flawless A. The surface is smooth and delicate when viewed with the naked eye, and it is extremely difficult to detect surface flaws and microscopic defects. B. There are very few flaws on the surface, like pinpoints, which are difficult to observe with the naked eye. Small flaws. C. There are smaller flaws, which are easy to observe with the naked eye. D. The flaws are obvious, accounting for less than a quarter of the surface area. Heavy flaws. E The blemishes are obvious and seriously occupy more than a quarter of the surface area.

3. Look at the roundness:

"A penny is worth a penny" and "a pearl is round and round". The rounder the pearl, the more beautiful it is. This is in line with the aesthetic habits of the Chinese people. Large, finely round pearls appear as beautiful as a full moon. Combined with luster, it creates a hazy artistic conception. The standard of a perfect circle is when the percentage difference between the longest diameter and the shortest diameter of a pearl is ≤1%, the standard of a circle is when the difference ratio of 1%≤diameter is ≤5%, and the standard is when the difference between 5% and 10% is nearly round. But most of the time, you can see the roundness with your own eyes. Shape rules and quality requirements (diameter difference percentage %): perfect circle A1 ≤ 1; circle A2 ≤ 5; near circle A3 ≤ 10; ellipse B > 10. It can have drop shape or pear shape; flat C has symmetry, one side or Both sides are nearly flat. The shape of the special-shaped D is extremely irregular. Usually the surface is uneven and there is no obvious symmetry. It may be the similarity of the shape of a certain object.

【Image source: Harold Finkle Your Jeweler】

Fourth, look at the size:

As the saying goes, "seven points are pearls and eight points are treasures." Generally, pearls below 6 mm are not included in the category of jewelry-grade pearls. 7-9 mm are generally favored by consumers. Pearls of 10 mm are hard to come by. Only South Sea pearls and black pearls are available above 11 mm. The higher you go, the scarcer the quantity becomes, and the price often doubles. This standard is not difficult to see.

【Image source: Harold Finkle Your Jeweler】

1. The growth time of a pearl - seedlings: about 2.5-3 years------the mother-of-pearl matures; growth: about 2-3 years------the pearl grows into a mature pearl, about 5mm-7mm.

Among them, nacre is secreted 3-5 times a day, and the thickness covered by each secretion is only 0.3μm. The thickness of the nacre layer cultured for one year is only about 0.3mm. It takes about 3 years to grow to 1mm thick before it can grow into gem quality. of pearls. In other words, after three years of cultivation, there will be thousands of layers of nacre.

2. Pearl market research reports show that among all cultured seawater pearls, only 10%-15% can be used for jewelry, another 30% can be used as craft jewelry, and the remaining 50% can only be used as cosmetics and medicines. use.

3. Among the 1,000 pearls (pearls that have just been harvested and have not been classified in any way are called pearls), those finally selected to make pearl necklaces are: first-class, about 2; second-class, about 8 ;Third-grade product, about 15 pieces.

5. Among the 1,000 pearls, perfect pearls with a diameter of more than 7mm, perfect roundness, brilliant luster, softness, and flawlessness, or AAA pearls, are rare, sometimes even less than 10; Even AAB grade ones will not exceed 30-50 pieces.

Produced from the pearl oysters of Ago Bay in Mie Prefecture, Japan. [Image source: theguardian.com]

5. Look at the color:

This depends on personal preference, skin color, clothing, occasion, etc., to name a few. Generally, white is the most popular, pure and elegant, black is mysterious and noble, pink is pure and romantic, and gold is luxurious and graceful.

【Image source: American Pearl】

6. Look at the matching:

Whether it is strung into a pearl necklace or inlaid with gems such as gold, silver, diamonds, etc., the harmony and beauty of color, shape, artistic conception, etc. are emphasized. A good pearl brand designer will display emotions and culture through products, and experienced, Well-trained bead-picking technicians will select and combine pearls well. These are details that are difficult for laymen to notice. As a pearl expert, as long as you have a certain aesthetic vision and cultural literacy, and take pleasing to the eye as the standard, you can see the pros and cons of matching.

Jewelry art adorned with pearls [Image source: MIKIMOTO]

        Pearls have always been loved by people for their warmth, elegance and magnificence, and are known as the Queen of Jewelry. However, no matter how good a pearl brand product is, it must pay attention to maintenance. Therefore, we must also master some basic pearl maintenance knowledge in our daily life so that pearls can maintain their long-lasting charm.

        Pearls are composed of calcium carbonate, which has poor chemical stability and is soluble in acid and alkali. It is not suitable to come into contact with perfume, oil, salt, alcohol, hair lotion, vinegar and dirt in daily life; it is also not suitable to come into contact with banana water, etc. Organic solvents; the human body sweats a lot in summer, and it is not advisable to wear pearl necklaces. When not in use, wipe it clean with a soft, slightly damp clean cotton cloth and store it in air-dry. Do not use any detergent to clean it; do not expose or bake it in the sun; do not store it with Do not store mothballs together in a bank vault for a long time.

        The hardness of pearls is low. White pearls that have been worn for a long time will turn yellow and deteriorate their luster. They can be bleached with 1%-1.5% hydrogen peroxide. Be careful not to over-bleach, otherwise they will lose their luster.

WILLS JEWELLERY collects natural pearls originating from all over the world for fans, and combines them with natural gemstones such as 18K white and diamonds to create a variety of precious jewelry, hoping to embellish your life with endless colors.