Pure Pearls Glossary
Pearl Grading
The A to AAA scale used to rate a pearl on lustre, surface, shape, colour matching and nacre. There is no global standards body enforcing it.
Pearls are judged on five things: lustre, surface cleanliness, shape, how well pearls in a piece match each other, and nacre thickness. The A to AAA scale bundles those into one letter.
Unlike diamonds, pearls have no universal grading authority. Each farm, wholesaler and retailer applies the scale to its own inventory. One seller's AAA can be another's AA.
This is why a grade is only useful alongside the name of whoever assigned it. A grade from a seller who explains their criteria means something. A grade on an anonymous listing means very little.
What you will hear
“AAAA or AAAAA is a higher grade than AAA.”
In fact: The recognised scale stops at AAA. Extra As are a marketing invention, and their appearance is a reason for more scepticism, not less.
When you are buying
Ask what the grade is based on rather than what the grade is. A seller who can tell you the lustre is sharp, the surface has two faint marks and the nacre is thick has told you more than any letter can.
Our highest-graded pieces
91 pieces in the collection right now, from ₹18,000.
Blissful White Graduated Pearls 18Inch Necklace With MOP Pendant
Grand Dual Row White Pearl Necklace With Traditional Pendant
Luminous 5Line White Baroque Pearl 26Inch Necklace With Bluish Grey Pearls
Splendid 10Line Taar Mala 19Inch Long Necklace With Extra Fine White Seed Pearls
Regal 3Line Magenta Pink Pearls 20Inch Necklace With Seed Pearls
Gorgeous White Oval Pearls Intricate & Lacey Necklace
Alluring Three Row White Pearl Necklace With A Stylish Pendant
Spectacular 6mm White Semi-Round Pearls 19Inch Necklace With Victorian Pendant
Read next
AAA Grade
The top of the standard pearl scale: sharp lustre, near-clean surface, well matched, and shape true to its type.
AA Grade
Good lustre with visible but minor surface marking. The everyday-wear grade, and where most sensible value sits.
Lustre
How sharply a pearl reflects light. The single most important quality factor, and the one you can judge without any training.
Nacre
The material a pearl is made of: microscopic aragonite platelets glued in layers by conchiolin. Thickness determines both lustre and lifespan.
Surface Blemish
Pits, bumps, creases and dull patches on a pearl's surface. Some marking is present on essentially every pearl.
Matching
How consistently the pearls within one piece agree on size, colour, lustre and shape. A grading factor in its own right.
Not sure what you are being sold?
Paste any pearl description — another shop’s listing, a message from a jeweller, an old certificate — and we will break it down term by term.