The Pearls

A wonder of the nature: elegance, class and joy those who wear a jewel made of pearls. A pearl, a memory, an affection, a gift. From the various types of quality, brightness, color ... from the most usual creations to unique creations in the world... the pearl remains and will always remain in the feminine firmament a touch of class in support of hers own beauty.

The product of the nature called pearl consisting mainly of calcium carbonate, a widespread mineral and made unique by the hand of nature that creates the perlaginous effect with the deposit of crystalline layers of mother-of-pearl in defense of the oyster pearling.

Cultured Pearls

The shells contain tiny molluscs which, after the introduction of a foreign body, they produce as a result the pearly effect. The introduction can be accidental in the case of natural pearls or desired in the case of cultured pearls. A layer of conchiolin will be deposited on the nucleus first, then a compound of calcite with a little of aragonite, finally one of aragonite with little bit of calcite. The name given to the third layer is Nacre. The greater the its thickness, due to the duration of cultivation, the greater the value of the pearl. Cultured pearls can be produced both in Salt Water (variety of superior quality) than in Fresh Water. It can be round or shaped irregular (baroque).

Pearls Evaluation Parameters

• PEARLS TYPES. The types of pearls depend on the family of the pearl oyster and of the nature of the mollusk that forms them.
• LUSTRE. The most important characteristic of the cultivated pearl, corresponds to the intensity of the light reflected on the surface of the pearl gives it depth and brightness, depends on the fineness of the uniformity and on the thickness of the layers of nacres.
• COLOR. In nature, pearls are available in a wide range of natural colors. Natural colors range from traditional silver, cream, pink and gold tones ... without forgetting black, dark silver, black green of the wonderful Tahitian pearls..
• REGULARITY OF THE SURFACE. Cultured pearls are not artificial products, they are a product of the nature, however, they can not be perfect. A cultivated pearl will have small surface imperfections, some more important defects considerably reduce the value but, of the small spots are the sign that the cultivated pearl is authentic.
• SIZE (DIAMETER). The size of cultured pearls is determined by the diameter measured in millimeters. The cultured pearls of Japan have a diameter that varies between 2 and 10 mm and the South Sea pearls between 10 and 20 mm. With the same characteristics, bigger is the dimension the pearl, more its value is high.
• SHAPE. Although it is difficult to obtain cultured pearls with a spherical shape. The perfectly round pearls are the most requested and the most valuable, but irregular shapes such as pear, oval, onion, button and baroque are also very popular.

Market of the Pearls

Giving an evaluation to the pearl can be quite difficult there is no real standardization and if it were standardizable it would not cover the innumerable nuances that the pearl offers us in nature. The goal is to give an objective answer that may indicate with an index the quality of the pearl. Certain manufacturers have their own scale of values ​​as well as those sell the finished product have another. Even between different categories of pearls there are different parameters. An example is the categorization of Akoya pearls different from the pearls of Tahiti. Some brands sell pearls without declaring the features in detail, in this case we trust the brand which, in some cases, selects products of superior range of excellent quality and very high cost. Who offers non-branded products, for one correct categorization of the product, must detail the quality characteristics of the pearls. The potential buyer must be aware of what they buy or a low-end pearl (from the low price) or high range (same or very similar to the designer pearls).

Two types of certification for the Pearls

• SELLER CERTIFICATION In this case the seller guarantees the product by certifying the raw material.
• INDIPENDENT CERTIFICATION It's the certification of an independent body that certifies the product. In this case the product is sold at higher prices for certification costs.

Total Quality Pearls Scale

MaxGioie adopts the Total Quality categorization system which represents a weighted evaluation of the pearl evaluation parameters.

• AAA High quality pearl virtually perfect and 95% complete.
• AA+ High quality pearl virtually perfect and 80-95% complete.
• AA High quality pearl 75-80% complete.
• A Pearls perfect at 25%.

Subparameters of Classification: SURFACE

Classify the regularity parameters of the surface.

• AAA Without appreciable defects.
• AA Naturals defects are little appreciable.
• A Naturals defects are appreciable.
• B Relevant defects.

Subparameters of Classification: IRIDESCENCE AND BRIGHTNESS

Reflexes of colors on the surface of the pearl, the shine result is given by mix of iridescent and brightness.

• AAA Very brilliant.
• AA Brilliant.
• A Little brilliant.
• B With little iridescent.