Pearl Grading | Pearl Color Grades
Pearl Grading System
Pearl grading is very similar to the 4C's of diamond grading in that it takes into consideration several categories of qualitative comparisons. The pearl grading system consists of five main parts. They are:
3. Pearl Color Grading
Pearls come in a wide range of natural colors (hues) and shades. Some pearls are dyed to suit a specific fashion requirement. Naturally occurring colors include the white, silver, cream, pink, lilac, silver and gold. Other natural colors include black and greenish-black Tahitian pearls which come from the black-lipped oyster Pinctada margaritifera.
The GIA classifies 19 hue (color) names for pearls. Pearls that fall into one of these 19 hue categories are also plotted on a center axis to indicate their tone (darkness) from white to grey to black.
Pearl Bodycolor, Heart, & Orient
The pearl's bodycolor is its pearl's main color. The bodycolor is determined by the type of oyster or mollusk that produces the pearl. Certain types of oysters produce pearls within a specific color range. Other factors in coloration are the conditions of the water, and the type of nucleus which is implanted to stimulate the pearl's creation.
Besides the body or exterior color, higher quality pearls reveal color overtones which reflect the pearlšs layering or "heart". A quality white pearl may have a light pink or silver overtone to it. Overtones are translucent colors which sometimes appear over top of the pearl's main bodycolor. Some pearls have no overtones at all.
The term "orient" refers to the shimmering, iridescent colors which appear to move and glitter when the pearl is turned or rotated. This phenomenon is caused by the way in which light is reflected through the various thin layers of nacre which make up the pearl's surface.
Color selection can a matter of personal taste and is often decided on the basis of whether the pearl color suits the wearer's skin. Americans have tended to prefer pearls with a pinkish tone, whereas Europeans have shown a preference towards white and cream colored pearls. Cream and gold colored pearls generally compliment olive or darker skin tones, while white and pink pearls are more suited to Caucasian and Asian skin tones.
Pearl Color Treatments & Enhancements
Some commercially available pearls are bleached, dyed or irradiated to obtain their color. One rule of thumb in spottings treated pearls is that if the pearls are not true Tahitian Pearls, from the Black Lip Oyster, they cannot be a natural black color. Naturally black Akoya and freshwater pearls do not exist in nature. The colors are artificially infused by a treatment knows as dying, or by subjecting the pearls to irradiation. Some bright gold south sea pearls and Chocolate pearls are created using a bleaching process, combined with heating.
In the 1930s, freshwater pearls from Japan's Lake Biwa introduced a wide variety of new colors to the pearl market. These colors were previously unavailable in saltwater variety pearls. Chinese freshwater pearl farmers have continued this trend with a wide variety of fancy colored pearls.
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