Pearl Grades and How to Get an A (or Better!)

We’re continuing with our pearl education series today with understanding the different pearl grading systems. Curious what you’ve missed? Start with how to buy pearls.

Want to know a little secret about pearl grading?

Unlike diamonds, there is no single grading system for pearls. Instead, there are several industry “conventions” in common use today, and a bunch of variations. I’ll discuss the main systems below, but it’s important to understand that these systems are just industry conventions, and there is no “pearl police” to enforce the rules!

In practice, a given pearl dealer visually rates the pearls they see within their own chosen system, which may not be the same system that another pearl dealer uses. This causes a problem at the retail/consumer level, as many retail sales presentations may show a strand of pearls as “AAA” without disclosing how that grade was assigned, or where it sits within a given system. Without a standard chart and precise language – or actual pearls to compare against – such a grade is meaningless.

So what to do? The fastest way is to ask the seller show you actual pearls which represent the major grades of their system.For instance, if a seller uses the “AAA-A” system, then ask them to show you ‘AAA’, ‘AA’, and ‘A’ quality pearls so that you can see the difference. Seeing the actual pearls will save you loads of time!

Of course, I understand you’re likely reading this on the internet, and you may not have access to actual pearls in your office or living room.

So, the simplest option is to think in terms of “good”, “better”, and “best” quality. Look at only one seller at a time, so that you don’t get confused by different systems. You’ll need to spend a minute or two to understand the main grades of that seller’s system, and then see photographs of pearls representing “good”, “better”, and “best”.

One very common system you’ll see (we use it ourselves at Anandia Pearls) is the “AAA-A” Grading System established by the trusted Gemological Institute of America (GIA.) In this system:

• ‘AAA’ represents the highest grade, with a very high luster and at least 95% of the surface free from blemishes.
• ‘AA’ will have high luster, with at least 75% of the surface free of blemishes.
• ‘A’ is still a nice pearl, but has lower luster than the higher grades and/or more than 25% of the surface showing blemishes.

Some sellers may also use “non-standard” intermediate grades, like AA+ or A+, for pearls that fall between two of these grades. Other sellers may use graphical “pyramids”, or the ‘A B C D’ system (common for Tahitian black pearls), where A is “best”.

No matter what the system, just remember – it’s always best to evaluate pearls on their actual merits – luster, surface quality, shape, size, etc. – and use the grades to just get a “ballpark” idea of overall quality when you discuss pearls with the sellers.

If you’d like to learn more before you buy your next piece of pearl jewelry, I would encourage you to read Anandia Pearls’ comprehensive Pearl Buying Guide. It’s a free download you can print out and read!