Gemstone and Pearl Quality

I use only the best ethically sourced and recycled materials that are available, to create lustrous, luxurious pearl and gemstone jewelry to last a lifetime and more. I strive to create objects that are as individual as each person who might enjoy them.

Most of my designs can be ordered in various colors of gold, or several types of silver. Also platinum and palladium. The great majority of my pieces (99.8%) are made using reclaimed metals.

Colored gemstones include sapphires, emeralds and rubies. Several different colored semiprecious gemstones are also available. A rainbow of color choices are possible. 

I use Canadian earth mined Diamonds or Certified Conflict free diamonds from Botswana DTC. As an alternative, I can get Cubic Zirconia or Moissanite gemstones. I am trying out some lab made Diamonds, but have found that I must be careful of their source so as not to support dictatorships.

In white gemstones other alternatives would include white topaz, white sapphire, or white Zircon (a naturally occurring brilliant gemstone).

I specialize in carefully sourced and sustainable pearls from around the world. Pearls are unique by their very nature since they are organic gemstones. I hunt the best quality pearls available.

I do not use glass, plastic, shell or other factory made pearls. All my Pearls were made by an actual oyster or mussel bivalve. Some are grown in salt water oceans, some in freshwater lakes or streams. Pearl types include, Akoya, Freshwater, Tahitian, South Seas, Edison Freshwater, and some Golden (South Sea).

If you are interested in a particular type or color of pearl, please let me know. I might have some here, or I can ask my suppliers what they have.

Natural Wild Caught pearls ARE a thing. They are quite rare and often expensive. I have sources for both contemporary and antique wild caught pearls if you are interested.

Custom Order

Pearl Grading

In jewelry I work mainly in pearls and fine gems in 14kt gold settings.

There is no universal agreement on pearl grading.

The following grading for pearls is generally accepted in the industry:

AAA: The highest-quality pearl, virtually flawless. The surface will have a high luster and at least 95% of the surface will be free from any type of defect.

AA: The surface will have a very high luster and at least 75% of the surface will be free from any type of defect.

A: This is the lowest jewelry-grade pearl, with lower luster and/or more than 25% of the surface showing defects

Pearl Factors

Shape & Size

Round is the rarest and is the most valuable. After that, off-round, oval, drop, buttons, coins, freeform are an example of the progression of the shape. The further from round, generally speaking, the lower the value. That being said, some of the most interesting pearls are not round! Some more shapes of pearls are: Keshi, Coin, Mabe, Near Round/Potato, Biwa, and Feather.
Pearl Terminology:

Spherical pearls - Round or near round.

Symmetrical - Pearls that look the same on each side if you divided them in half.

Baroque - Irregularly shaped pearls. There are several sub divisions of baroque. Please see the Stats section of the listings for particulars.
Size is Measured in millimeters, with larger pearls typically being more valuable.

Color

White is the universal color. In Asia & the USA pink-white is the ultimate. Other favored natural colors are pink, golden pink, lavender, purple, black, etc.
Many pearls are enhanced with permanent dyes, irradiation and other treatments. Some dying processes can take up to 3 years of treatment to produce.
Dyed pearls usually have a lesser value than those with natural colors.
GIA classifies pearl color as having 3 characteristics:
Body color - The dominant overall color of a pearl.

Overtone - One or more translucent colors that appear over a pearl's body color.

Orient - Iridescent, rainbow colors shimmering on or just below a pearl's surface.

Surface quality

The Surface quality is the evenness of the pearls surface, with no undulating undercurrents to distract the eye. The Gemological Institue Of America classifies this into 4 categories:
Clean - Virtually blemish free
Lightly Blemished - Minor surface irregularities
Moderately Blemished - Noticeable surface irregularities
Heavily Blemished - Many obvious surface irregularities

Luster

Luster is the most important quality in evaluating the beauty of a pearl. The iridescence, the life of the pearl, the shimmer, glow, and the luminosity of the pearl all come together here. Luster is closely related to orient. GIA has 4 categories for luster:

Excellent - reflections are bright and pinpoint sharp
Good - reflections are bright but not as sharp, slightly matte finish
Fair - reflections are hazy and blurred
Poor - reflections are diffused and appear chalky and dull

Origin

Where the pearls are from, with certain regions known for producing higher-quality pearls.
Major pearl producing areas are currently Japan, China, French Polynesia, Australia, Hawaii, and the Persian Gulf.

Type

Types of pearls are:
Freshwater, grown in rivers, streams and lakes. Most of these are grown in China, with the exception of Kasumi pearls from Japan.
Saltwater, grown in warm salt water regions of the world each with different characteristics and color tendencies.

Nacre Quality

Nacre Quality is the thickness and quality,smoothness and luster of the pearl's nacre (outer layers).