1. Where are your pearls from?

All pearls we use and sell are directly from our own pearl farm, locating in Liusha Harbor of Zhanjiang City, where is well-known as "County of Akoya Pearl". It is principally engaged in the pearl culturing, pearl sorting, pearl grading & stringing, and etc.

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2. Are your pearls genuine ones?

All our freshwater pearls, Akoya pearls, Tahitian pearls and South sea pearls are genuine cultured pearls, except “Shell Pearls”. “Shell pearls” are a kind of bead that restructured from shell powder and coated with similar pearl color.

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3. How can I know whether it is genuine pearl or not?

Both cultured and natural genuine pearls can be distinguished from imitation pearls by a very simple test. Take the pearl and rub it gently against the edge of a tooth. Genuine pearls will feel slightly rough, like fine sandpaper, because of the texture of natural nacre. Imitations or faux pearls will feel as smooth as glass because the surface is molded or painted on a smooth bead.

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4. What about pearl colors? Are they natural?

The color of pearls varies with the mollusk and its environment. It ranges from black to white, with the rose of Indian pearls esteemed most. Other colors are cream, gray, blue, yellow, lavender, green, and mauve. All occur in delicate shades. Cultured pearls for jewelry are being produced in virtually every color of the rainbow.

Some pearl colors are natural; some pearl colors are achieved through artificial means. We will always tell you in our Product Description. Usually natural colors for freshwater pearls are white, pink and lavender. Each pearl has a body color plus overtones that cannot be achieved artificially (though many have tried!).

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5. How to judge quality pearls? Are cultured pearls quality pearls?

The quality of pearls is judged by the orient, which is the soft iridescence caused by the refraction of light by the layers of nacre, and luster, the reflectivity and shine of the surface. Fine pearls do not have any flaws or spots in the nacre: it has an even smooth texture. Other factors which affect value are the regularity of the shape, size, and color: rose tints are the most favored.

Not only are cultured pearls quality pearls, but many of the finest pearls in the world are the result of culturing. Consider South Sea pearls, Tahitian pearls and Akoya pearls. These pearls are all cultured pearls. This process helps ensure uniform quality and improve harvests.

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6. What is the difference between saltwater and freshwater pearls?

Generally, saltwater pearls are much higher in quality and price than freshwater.

Freshwater Pearls, are farmed in freshwater and grown in mussels. Freshwater pearls cultivating technique usually produce twenty or more pearls in one oyster. Freshwater pearls are more irregularly shaped?they are usually flat or pear-shaped. They have less gloss, and they come in a wider variety of colors, such as pink and lavender or purple.

Saltwater Pearls, are farmed in saltwater, and grown in oysters. Only several pieces of pearls are grown per oyster. This makes salt-water pearls more expensive than freshwater pearls. The average saltwater pearl is near-round, white or off-light in color, and has a moderate luster and glossy surface.

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7. How to classify the pearls?

Here are the most common ways you'll find them classified when you buy pearl jewelry.

1) By water types. Whether the pearls are freshwater or saltwater.
2) By growth method. Whether the pearls are natural or cultured.
3) By shape. Whether the pearls are round, near-round, drop, Baroque, etc.
4) By color. Whether they're white, black, green, gold, variegated, etc.
5) By size. Whether they're little (2-5 mm); bead pearls (5-5.5 mm); medium (5.5-6.5 mm); large (6.5-7.5 mm); extra large (7.5-8.5 mm) or super large (8.5 mm and up).
6) By region. Whether they are East pearls, West pearls, South pearls, Chinese pearls, Australian pearls, etc.
7) By content. Whether the pearls contain stones, sand grains, or other irritants.
8) By source. Whether the pearls are detached or blister.
9) By usage. Whether the pearls will be used for medicinal purposes or for ornamentation.
10) By nacre thickness. Depending on the type of pearl, different nacre thicknesses will produce.

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8. Is there a standardized grading system for pearls?

There is no standard system in use. General descriptive terms for pearl quality are often the same used to describe anything as well: "excellent," "very good," "average," etc. Usually, we use our own system for evaluating our near-round & round pearls, in order from least to best quality: A, A+, AA, AA+, AAA, and AAA+. 

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