Presentation
To date, the pearl industry has not yet opted for a standard international assessment system and jewelers and other jewelers frequently have to use their own assessment method. That is why we have chosen to refer on the one hand, to the classification system of the famous American institute, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA),made up of the most renowned gemology experts in the world, and on the other hand, to the classification mode A B C D, used by the French Polynesian Perliculture Service.
GIA's AAA-A system
With this system, each pearl is evaluated according to a number of criteria, including its shape, its luster, its surface... It is then classified in one of the three categories identified AAA, AA and A; the best of them being AAA.
The AAA category includes high-quality, perfectly spherical pearls whose surface, virtually flawless on at least 90%, has a very high luster and a mirrored surface.
The AA category includes almost perfect spherical pearls whose surface, virtually flawless on at least 75%, still has a very high luster.
Category A, the lowest classification for gems is composed of pearls whose surface has a lower luster and/or has more than 25% imperfections.
The ABCD system of the French Polynesia Perliculture
A is the rating given to pearls of which less than 10% of the surface only has some slight imperfections. The luster of these pearls is very high.
B is the rating given to pearls of which less than 30% of the surface has slight imperfections. The luster of these pearls is high.
This is the rating given to pearls, of which less than 60% of the surface has slight imperfections. The luster of these pearls is high or medium.
D is the rating given to pearls where more than 60% of the surface has slight imperfections, without deep defects, or those whose less than 60% of the surface presents at the same time light and deep imperfections. The luster of these pearls is weak.
Table of the two classification systems
|
Pearl type |
Gia |
Polynesia |
|
Pearl of very high quality |
AAA |
A |
|
Good quality pearl whose surface however has slight imperfections |
AA |
B |
|
Medium-quality pearl with imperfections on the surface |
A |
C |
|
Poor quality pearl whose surface has many imperfections |
B |
D |
In a nutshell
Under the laws of French Polynesia, Tahitian pearls must undergo a rigorous X-ray examination to accurately measure the thickness of their nacre layer. This control, carried out before the export, will determine the classification and guarantee the quality of each gem.
As experts, we have decided to offer mainly tahitian pearls of AAA quality and in order to satisfy our customers, we put our know-how at your disposal to assist you in the choice of your jewel.