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SORTING PEARLS
There are many different steps involved with the sorting
of pearls. Firstly, the pearls are sorted according to
whether they can be used for the cultured pearl industry
or not. Those which can be, are categorised into three
sections: A sieve or an object similar to the one on the right is then
used to seperate different pearl sizes.Pearls are then
graded based on the following considerations:
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2. Lustre: The lustre of a pearl is concerned with the effect of reflection and refraction from the inner layers of skin as well as the surface.
3. Colour: Australian south sea pearls of which are mainly produced by the rare, Pinctada Maxima oyster, show an incredible and brilliant display of almost every colour of the rainbow. The most popular pearl colours are white, silver, and cream, as they are the most universally appreciated colour. Other exotic coloured pearls include rose, gold, peach, champagne, and lavender. |  Photo courtesy of Paspaley Pearls, Australia |
4. Shape: There are many different shapes of pearls. The most frequently found pearl types are round, half round, egg, pear, button, girdled, baroque, and semi baroque; the most rarest and sought after being round and teardrop shaped pearls.
5. Surface Perfection: The classification of the type of surface of a pearl is as follows: Exceptional skin, fine skin, or marked skin.
6: Size: Australian pearls dominate the pearling industry in size and quality. The average size for Australian pearls is 10-14 mm, although some extremely rare pearls have reached an incredibly large, 20mm in diameter. the largest abalone pearl
Follow the links for a guide to determining the Quality of the pearl or the Variety of pearls.
Another important aspect of pearling deals with the process of cleaning pearls in order to
enhance their quality and appearance.
Some pearls tend to have small blemishes or scratches. This can be amended by removing layer
upon layer of nacre, until finally reaching a layer free from blemishes. However, there is a high risk
with doing so, as the pearl cleaner may remove too much, thus decreasing the value of the original
pearl. It is a fifty, fifty gamble in which the owner must take the risk of gaining a more valuable pearl
or losing everything altogether. The world's most famous pearl cleaner, T.B.Ellies, whom lived in
Broome, met pearl dealers from all over the world and is said to have cleaned over 2 million dollars
worth of pearls.
