THE PEARL GUIDE
PEARL VALUATION FACTORS
Pearls are categorized and sorted based on eight quality and valuation factors: size, shape, color, nacre, luster, orient, surface and coherence.
SIZE
Most pearls are measured by their diameter; though, irregularly shaped baroque pearls are measured by their width and occasionally, length. The standard unit of measure is the millimeter.
From 1 millimeter to over 20 millimeters, the size of a cultured pearl depends on several factors. These factors include the size of the parent mollusk, the size of the implanted nucleus and the length of cultivation. All other factors equal: the larger the pearl, the greater its value.
