Pearl is organic in nature and its family includes South China Sea pearls, Tahiti pearls, Japanese cultivated pearls and Chinese freshwater pearls. Top quality pearls are those that are large in size, perfectly rounded, lustrous and with a smooth surface. Typical pearl colours are white, beige, pink, gold and black.
The qualities that determine the overall value of a natural or cultured pearl or a piece of pearl jewelry are size, shape, color, luster, surface quality, nacre quality.
| Size: When other value factors are equal, larger pearls are rarer and more valuable than smaller pearls of the same type. |
| Shape: Round is the most difficult shape to culture, making it the rarest cultured pearl shape and—if all other factors are equal—also generally the most valuable. |
| Color: Natural and cultured pearls occur in a broad range of hues. There are warm hues like yellow, orange, and pink, and cool hues like blue, green, and violet. Pearls have a wide range of tone from light to dark. Pearl colors tend to be muted, with a soft, subtle quality. |
| Luster: Of the seven pearl value factors, luster might be the most important. Luster is what gives a natural or cultured pearl its unique beauty. |