March 18, 2009
Purchasing Pearl Jewellery
They say that if you want a happy marriage you should wear pearls on your wedding day.
The most classic of wedding jewellery are pearls. So, how do you go about finding and buying the perfect Pearl Necklace Jewellery.
Pearls come in 4 different types: Tahitian, Akoya, Southsea and Freshwater. 3 of these types of pearls come from the ocean, the only one which does not if Freshwater pearls. They are more valuable than freshwater pearls for their rarity and high luster.
Akoya pearls are the most popular. The Akoya pearl is the classic round pearl with a mirror like finish.
As with any other gemstones, the value of pearls is determined by their quality.
A pearls quality can be A, AA, AA+, AAA, AAA+. If you have two pearls the exact same size, an “AAA” quality pearl would be much more expensive than an “A” quality pearl.
Size, matching, colour, surface, nacre and luster are the six criteria that the quality and value of pearls are based around.
Nacre: Buyers of pearls usually pay most attention to the pearls thickness(nacre). A pearl oyster produces a coating to the pearl nucleus and it is this that is classed as the nacre. It is the nacre that is the main difference between how long a pearl will last. You should look for pearls with nacre thickness over 0.4mm.
Luster and Surface: The amount of light reflected from the surface of the pearl is called the luster. A strand of pearls with high luster, mirror finish and clean surfaces is most desirable and valuable.
Colour: When buying pearls and choosing a colour it is really down to what would suit your clothing ans skin tones.
Size: The price of pearls that are larger than 7mm varies greatly. People usually buy the largest pearls they can afford.
Shape: Pearls come in all shapes and sizes but it is the round ones which are the valuable ones.
Matching: When buying a pearl necklace jewellery set or similar the matching element refers to how well all the pearls in the jewellery match. It is difficult to find enough pearls to make a matching jewellery set as you can imagine and therefore a matching set would command a high price.
Once you have made a decision on what you want it will all then just boil down to the budget that you have. Take your time to shop around and find that perfect pearl necklace for your wedding day or special occasion.
