Pearl FALCO’s Guide to Determining the Value of Pearl

Unlike diamonds, which obtain their unique sparkle through cutting and polishing, pearls shine naturally on their own, like shining babies born from mother oysters. All pearls are born in nature and unique, with no 2 pearls being the same. And so far, even with the latest technology available, naturally born pearls are still evaluated one by one with experienced expert human eyes. 

Pearl FALCO fully appreciates how the purchase of luxury pearl jewelry is never a casual decision. Pearl FALCO is commited to sharing our expert knowledge to help you evaluate and appraise pearl jewelry. Pearl FALCO here to help you make extremely well informed decisions. No Exceptions. 

The 7 Best Criteria to Determine the Value Of Pearls

Luster, Thickness, Size, Shape, Color, Blemishes and Uniformity

By far, the most important criteria to determine the value of a pearl is luster or brightness. Pearls are made of so many fine layers of calcium carbonate – nacre – which the mother oyster forms around a nucleus. The layers of nacre are of the same compound as the mother oyster’s shell. As the mother oyster arranges so many fine layers of nacre around the nucleus, the more translucent and brilliant a pearl becomes. 

In contrast, if the nacre is thick but uneven, a pearl will have a cloudy impression and the pearl’s value will be lower. The key to distinguishing the highest quality pearls is the interference color. In pearls, the interference color is described as, ‘green color floating in pink,’ similar to the iridescence of a soap bubble. Another well-tested determination method is to check to see how well you can see yourself reflected on the surface of your pearls, as if you are looking into a mirror.

As for a pearl’s size, especially for Japanese Akoya pearls, mother oysters are relatively small in size, roughly the size of a small child’s hand. The larger the Akoya pearls are, the greater the rarity and the higher their value. In the case of Akoya pearls, less than 1/3 of cultivated pearls can be used for jewelry. 

The fact that a pearl’s ideal shape is a perfectly round sphere with magnificent luster is among yet another one of Mother Nature’s great works. In addition, since pearls are born from mother oysters, most naturally born pearls have scratches or blemishes. It can be said blemishes act as additional evidence of a pearl’s authenticity. As one can imagine, the value changes depending on the number, size and location of blemishes, whether the flaw is easy to identify, etc.

And finally, uniformity. Pearls are evaluated one by one by expert human eyes to find and group pearls of similar luster and color. The greater the uniformity of the pearls in a piece of jewelry, the higher their value. If a pearl necklace has virtually the same luster and color, the value will be substantially higher.

Pearl earrings are an excellent example of this. When evaluating earrings, expect both the right and left pearl earring to share the very same luster and color, and your earrings will maintain their value over the decades. 

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