The GIA defines excellent matching as pearls having a similar appearance and drilled on center. All seven value factors must be considered in determining a finished jewelry item's value. A perfect set of cultured pearls will have a price tag which reflects its perfection - often in the unattainable range. We offer gorgeous cultured pearl heirloom jewelry that exceeds the cultured pearl jewelry often found in most well-known independent jewelry stores - and with a price tag well below these stores offerings. We pride ourselves as being a guild store - selling high-end cultured pearl jewelry with customization options you would be hard-pressed to find any where else.

Our BeadifulBABY jewelry artisans meticulously sort through the grade AAA cultured pearl strands we purchase from cultured pearl farms - searching for cultured pearls of the same bodycolors, overtones, hues, tones, and saturation - and with similar value factors. It sometimes takes going through several grade AAA strands of cultured pearls to create one or more jewelry items with excellent matched cultured pearls.

We know your gift is important to you so we take the time to create a gift you'd be proud to give to your friends and loved ones. We welcome you to compare your BeadifulBABY heirloom cultured pearl jewelry with other retailers - we know our cultured pearls will stand high above the rest - and at a price you'll love.

Our customers say it best. Read customer testimonials from customers who loved their BeadifulBABY® fine pearl jewelry.




At BeadifulBABY we use grade AAA and grade AA freshwater and akoya cultured pearls.

FRESHWATER CULTURED PEARL GRADE CHART
BeadifulBABY Grades All BeadifulBABY your fine cultured pearls are selected by our very own GIA Pearls Graduate. We know fine pearl gemstones and we take pearl selection and matching very seriously. We consistently strive for perfection in our pearl selection because we know every single pearl bracelet and pearl necklace we hand-create will be given to someone very special. There is no industry standard grading system for pearls. We use the GIA Pearl Description System also known as the GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors™ standards to grade each and every cultured pearl we use in your custom BeadifulBABY jewelry. This means we take into account all seven pearl value factors when we grade pearls. We have provided the very subjective grading system below as a way for you to compare our grading system with other jewelers – however - our standards for grade AAA and AA are much higher than most other jewelers – and we know this because we have shopped our competitors.
BeadifulBABY Premier	Visibly round to the eye Excellent luster to deep orient Nucleus not visible (i.e. no blinking), no chalky appearance Spotless to clean to the eye (i.e. 100% - 98% inclusion-free surface) - we strive for 100% inclusion-free. Excellent matching Top .01% of a pearl farms harvest Sold at guild (i.e. high-end fine jewelry ) stores like BeadifulBABY The absolutely gorgeous BeadifulBABY Premier pearls are used in our My First Pearls® - Add One Pearl at a Time lines.
AAA	Visibly round to slight near-round to the eye Excellent luster to deep orient Nucleus not visible (i.e. no blinking), no chalky appearance Spotless to clean to the eye (i.e. 100% - 98% inclusion-free surface) - we strive for 100% inclusion-free. Excellent matching Top 1%-2% of a pearl farms harvest Sold at guild (i.e. high-end fine jewelry ) stores like BeadifulBABY We strive for perfection in pearl selection. We select all pearls for a pearl bracelet or necklace while wearing a magnifier headband. Which means we are looking very closely for inclusions and blinking.
AA	Visibly round to near-round to the eye Very good luster Nucleus not visible (i.e. no blinking), no chalky appearance Clean to lightly blemished (i.e. 98% - 95% inclusion-free surface) Excellent to good matching Top 5% of a pearl farms harvest Sold at guild (i.e. high-end fine jewelry ) stores like BeadifulBABY We strive for perfection in pearl selection. We select all pearls for a pearl bracelet or necklace while wearing a magnifier headband. Which means we are looking very closely for inclusions and blinking.
Other Grades - More commonly used by other jewelers All grades below grade AA should be classified as costume jewelry not fine keepsake jewelry. However, jewelers who do not understand what a fine gem-quality pearl looks like will classify these grades as fine or keepsake. It is very important to shop with jewelers who are GIA educated as these jewelers know fine gems - or at least they should.
A+	Near to off-round to symmetrical oval or button-shaped Good luster to moderate luster Good nacre to medium nacre with 70% inclusion-free surface Good to moderate matching Top 15%-20% of a pearl farms harvest Sold at most chain jewelry stores and department stores by sales associates with little or no pearl education. Price of cultured pearl jewelry items sometimes priced high and not inline with actual value
A	Off-round to baroque to very off-round to baroque Low luster Moderate to heavily blemished nacre Moderate matching Sold at department stores - low-priced fashion jewelry with no discernible value

	Buyer Beware Many jewelers are misrepresenting the pearls they offer by omitting the word "cultured". This implies their pearls are the much more valuable naturally occurring variety. This occurs both online and in reputable jewelry stores. Usually this is just an oversight, but sometimes the omission is a deliberate attempt to mislead potential customers. Cultured Pearls are Real Pearls The vast majority of pearls for sale today (over 99%) are cultured (grown) by one of several methods. Cultured pearls are genuine pearls made of the same nacre found in natural pearls. Cultured pearls are formed by the same processes inside mussels and oysters that form natural pearls. Pearls form around irritants that get inside a mussel or oyster. The primary difference between natural and cultured pearls is how the irritant gets inside the mollusk. Natural Pearls are Rare & Expensive Naturally occurring pearls are extremely rare and are most often vintage gems found selling in auction houses or estate sales for very high prices. A single baby bracelet of top-quality natural 6mm pearls (similar to the top-quality cultured pearls we use in our jewelry lines) would sell for thousands of dollars. A single 16mm natural freshwater pearl of very high quality recently sold at auction for $50,000. Our Ethical Standards As a member of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), BeadifulBABY strictly adheres to the AGTA Code of Ethics and Principles of Fair Business Practices. We also strictly adhere to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) jewelry and precious metals guidelines. The FTC states you must use the term "cultured" when referring to cultured pearls. Merely referring to a pearl as a "pearl" instead of a "cultured pearl" implies the pearl is natural. We pride ourselves in upholding the ethical standards set forth by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Sincerely, Shelli M. Galbraith, GIA Pearls Graduate