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Fine pearls selected by our very own GIA Pearls Graduate.
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We have created this educational pearl guide so you may learn more about the pearls we use at BeadifulBABY®.
At BeadifulBABY® we use only the highest-quality and rarest Freshwater cultured pearls
direct from some of the best pearl farms in Asia.
Each pearl farm adheres to their own grading system with most pearl farms labeling the best pearls as Grade AAA.
We buy the very best pearl strands with the highest grading standards of a particular vendor.
We then employ our strict grading system to select only the very best and finest pearls from each strand we receive,
for your custom heirloom jewelry.
There is no industry-standard grading system for pearls and there is no definitive measure in grading pearls.
Pearls are graded by each jeweler by evaluating six key factors: nacre thickness, degree of luster, surface markings,
shape, color, and size.
We label our very best pearls as grade AAA. We define grade AAA as
having a clean surface quality (i.e. 95% inclusion-free),
excellent mirror-like luster,
and almost perfectly round to the eye.
We define grade AA+ as
having a lightly blemished surface quality (i.e. 90-95% inclusion-free),
good luster,
and round to near-round in shape.
We use two colors of pearls - white and mauve. Since pearls are a natural gemstone
the degree of white and mauve will vary from jewelry item to jewelry item, however, each bracelet or necklace we hand create
for you will have almost perfect matching. The term matching in the pearl industry means all of the pearls
on a jewelry item look almost exactly alike.
We use two sizes of pearls - 3.5mm to 4.0mm and 5.5mm to 6.0mm.
Grading pearls is subjective and since there is no set standard for grading pearls it is very important you understand the
grading system each jeweler adheres to. When buying pearls online be sure to view product photos carefully - quality jewelers
will have high-quality product photos displaying the whole jewelry item in detail not just a portion of the product. Although the
pearls used in a product photo will not be the pearls used on your specific jewelry item the product photos are still good indicators
of the quality of pearl the jeweler has available.
All of the pearls we use at BeadifulBABY® are hand-selected by our very own BeadifulBABY® pearl expert - a
Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Pearls graduate.
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Read what just a few of our customers have to say about the pearl jewelry they purchased from BeadifulBABY®.
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Read the
hundreds of customer testimonials
we have received to date.
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...the pearls on the bracelet we purchased were
absolutely perfect...We will recommend BeadifulBABY to everyone we know...
"The bracelet is exactly what was pictured on the site...
I was afraid of ordering a freshwater pearl bracelet at first because freshwater
pearls can come in weird shapes but the pearls on the bracelet we purchased were
absolutely perfect. The bracelet looks exactly like your picture on the site and
I love how I was able to customize it with crystals and choose a clasp for it at
no extra cost. We will recommend BeadifulBABY to everyone we know and we will
definitely purchase from you again. Thank you!"
Gina, Fall River, MA, United States - April 2008
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...The pearls on this bracelet were gorgeous - the luster, color and shape
were outstanding...It is the most precious little bracelet I’ve ever seen!...
"Wow…words cannot express how thrilled I was to receive the bracelet that I ordered
from your website for my granddaughter’s 1st birthday. I was looking for something
special, and I definitely found lots to chose from on your site. The speed at which
the bracelet was shipped was incredible (ordered Mon., received on Weds.) The pearls
on this bracelet were gorgeous - the luster, color and shape were outstanding. It is
the most precious little bracelet I’ve ever seen! I have to say that when I opened the
beautiful packaging to take a peek, I got teary-eyed. This is a high quality keepsake
that my daughter & granddaughter will cherish forever. I will definitely be recommending
your site to others, and I’ll be back to order again. Thank you so much for such wonderful
products and service!! Warmly,"
Sarah, Clarion, PA, United States - March 2008
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Read the
hundreds of customer testimonials
we have received to date.
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This is just a small sample of the hundreds of customer testimonials we have received.
Our customers tell the story better than we can. Read all of the
customer testimonials
we have received and see why you should purchase your custom heirloom pearl jewelry from BeadifulBABY®
- your best source
for fine custom freshwater cultured pearl jewelry.
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Pearls are considered gems. They are the only gemstones that derive from a living organism.
Pearls are made up of about eighty-five percent of the mineral calcium carbonate, which is the nacre,
twelve percent organic material, which is the irritant, and three percent water.
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Pearls are classified as either natural or cultured. Most of the pearls worn today are cultured, while
most of the natural pearls found today are vintage pearls. Approximately one in every ten thousand oysters
produce a natural pearl and the odds of that natural pearl produced being perfect are one in a million.
Due to this scarcity the process of pearl cultivation was born.
Cultured pearls are those pearls formed when a human introduces an
irritant into a mollusk. A mollusk is defined as any invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca.
Mussels and oysters are types of mollusks - and belong to the phylum Mollusca.
Natural and cultured Freshwater pearls are formed in mussels -
while both natural and cultured Akoya, South Sea, and Tahitian saltwater pearls
are formed in oysters.
To produce Freshwater cultured pearls a small thinly-sliced portion of a donor mussel's mantle tissue
is placed inside a pearl-producing mussel. To produce Akoya, South Sea, and Tahitian pearls a small well-formed smooth bead made
from the shell of a donor mussel is placed inside the pearl-producing oyster. Yes that is right the small well-formed beas inserted into
saltwater pearl producing oyster is from a Freshwater mussel. The United States is the largest supplier of these mussel shells used to produce the bead
nuclei to be inserted into saltwater oysters.
This insertion of a foreign irritant - whether it be a mantle tissue or a bead formed from a mussel's shell - starts the
pearl formation process.
It is very important to note the type of irritant inserted into a pearl-producing mollusk determines the nacre thickness of a pearl.
Freshwater cultured pearls consist almost entirely of nacre whereas Akoya, South Sea, and Tahitian cultured pearls have a very thin layer of nacre.
This is because the mantel tissue used to form the Freshwater cultured pearl almost completely dissolves whereas the bead nuclei used to form the saltwater cultured pearl is much larger and stays intact in shape and form and does not dissolve.
Natural pearls form when a parasite enters the shell of a mussel or oyster, thus starting the pearl formation
process naturally. It was once thought a grain of sand introduced into a mussel or oyster started the natural pearl
formation process, this however, is a myth. Mussels and oysters sift thousands of grains of sand daily in
and out of their interior. It is not a grain of sand but a parasite that start the pearl formation process in a mussel and oyster.
Cultured pearls are sold by their size in millimeters, and natural pearls
by their carat-weight.
Perfectly round natural pearls are extremely rare and valuable. The irritant
introduced determines the shape of the pearl to some degree. The nacre is deposited in concentric circles
around the irritant thus producing the shape of the pearl.
Most of the pearl jewelry found in the finest jewelry stores today is made with cultured pearls. The proper way
to address these pearls is to use the word cultured in the name, for example, Freshwater cultured pearls or
Akoya cultured pearls. To omit the word cultured in the reference is misleading.
The absence of the word cultured implies natural and since natural pearls are extremely rare
one can assume the jeweler may not be experienced and/or knowledgeable.
We recommend buying your fine pearl jewelry from jewelers who are educated in pearl quality and who employ high pearl
grading standards.
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There are two types of pearls:
- Freshwater cultured pearls, and
- Saltwater cultured pearls.
Freshwater cultured pearls are formed in freshwater mussels that live in fresh bodies
of water, like lakes, ponds, and rivers.
The freshwater mussel can produce as many as fifty pearls at once, with each pearl
ranging in size and shape. The oyster that forms Saltwater pearls can only form one pearl
at a time.
Freshwater cultured pearls take about two to five years to form.
Saltwater pearls are formed in oysters that live in the ocean or protected
lagoons. Types of Saltwater pearls are:
- Akoya,
- South Sea, and
- Tahitian.
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Six factors determine the quality of the gemstones we refer to as Freshwater cultured pearls,
these factors are nacre, luster, surface,
shape, color, and size.
1. Nacre
Freshwater cultured pearls are formed by the secretion of a crystalline substance known as
nacre (pronounced nay-ker) around an irritant in a mussel. The mussel coats the irritant with layer
upon layer of calcium carbonate crystals called nacre in a concentric fashion until a pearl is formed.
Freshwater cultured pearls are generally one hundred percent nacre. The thicker the nacre
the greater the luster,
the longer the pearl will last without showing wear, and thus the more valuable the pearl becomes.
2. Luster
The tiny calcium carbonate crystals that make up nacre determine the luster of a pearl.
The shine or reflective quality of a pearl is defined as its luster.
One way of determining the degree of luster is by the pearl’s mirror-like quality.
How well you can see your reflection in a pearl determines the degree of luster a pearl has.
The higher the shine of the pearl, the greater its value.
According to the Gemological Institute of America's (GIA's) pearl grading system,
a pearl's luster can be low, medium, high or very high. The luster and the thickness of
the nacre are directly related. The more nacre a pearl has the higher the luster. So larger pearls
tend to have more luster than smaller pearls because of their greater nacre content.
3. Surface
The surface quality of a pearl is one factor in determining its value. During the nacre laying process
sometimes spots and bubbles will appear because the nacre does not always adhere smoothly.
Most pearls have some surface imperfections or inclusions, such as bumps, scratches,
spots, or minor color variations. The cleaner the surface of the pearl the
more valuable the pearl. Given that pearls are organic even the most valuable
pearls might have some small inclusions.
4. Shape
The shape of the pearl that is formed by the mussel depends on two factors:
the shape of the irritant, and/or the physical movement of the mussel.
If the mussel moves around a lot during the pearl growth process an irregular-shaped
pearl can form.
The following image represents the variety of shapes possible in Freshwater cultured pearls.
At BeadifulBABY® we use only the highest-quality and rarest pearl shape - the spherical.
There are three classifications of pearl shape. They are spherical,
symmetrical, and baroque.
Freshwater Cultured Pearl Shape Classification Chart
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At BeadifulBABY® we use spherical Freshwater cultured pearls.
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Spherical Pearls
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These pearls are round. Round pearls are traditionally the
most desirable and the most expensive.
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Symmetrical Pearls
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These pearls are not round, they are symmetrical in shape. Symmetrical pearls include
pear-shaped pearls and other shapes that have symmetry from one side to another.
These pearls are most often used for pendant jewelry or earrings.
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Baroque Pearls
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These pearls are irregular in shape, neither round nor symmetrical.
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5. Color
The color of a pearl is also referred to as the body color of a pearl.
Freshwater cultured pearls come in a variety of beautiful colors, such as white,
silvery white, pink, salmon, red, copper, bronze, brown, lavender, purple, green, blue,
cream, and yellow. White, peach, and lavender are the most common colors, while the most
desirable are the pastel pinks, roses, and purples.
The different colors arise from a variety of factors including genetics, the location
of the deposited irritant, and the water quality. The water chemistry (affected by the elements
present in the water such as copper, silver, zinc) in which the mussel lives determine the color
of the conchiolin and it is the conchiolin present in the nacre that determine the color of
the conchiolin and it is the conchiolin present in the nacre that determines the color of the pearl.
At BeadifulBABY® we use white and mauve pearls in our custom jewelry items.
6. Size
Natural pearls are sold by carat weight, but cultured pearls are sold by their size in millimeters.
Freshwater cultured pearls have the widest-range of size of any pearl type.
Freshwater cultured pearls range in size from 2mm to 15mm.
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Freshwater Cultured Pearl Size (mm to inch) Conversion Chart
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3 millimeters = 0.118 inches
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4 millimeters = 0.157 inches
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5 millimeters = 0.197 inches
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6 millimeters = 0.236 inches
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7 millimeters = 0.276 inches
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At BeadifulBABY® we use 5.5mm - 6mm Freshwater cultured pearls primarily -
with 3.5mm - 4mm Freshwater cultured pearls as accents. Larger 5.5mm - 6mm fine pearls have more value
because it takes longer for these pearls to form. Smaller 3.5mm - 4mm Freshwater cultured pearls
are gorgeous accents but are too small to use on an entire bracelet or necklace.
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Our BeadifulBABY® jewelry artisans are meticulous in selecting each pearl
used on your BeadifulBABY® fine pearl jewelry thus providing you with an heirloom sure to be treasured.
This selection process is referred to as matching.
A matching of one hundred percent, meaning that all of the pearls look exactly alike,
is very important if you want the finished piece of jewelry to have value.
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.
Our customers say it best. Read
customer testimonials
from customers who loved their BeadifulBABY® fine pearl jewelry.
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Freshwater Cultured Pearl Grade Chart
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At BeadifulBABY® we use Grade AAA and Grade AA+ Freshwater cultured pearls.
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AAA
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- Visibly Round
- Excellent Luster
- Clean Nacre with 95% or more Inclusion-Free Surface
- Excellent Matching
- Top 1%-2% of a Pearl Farms Harvest
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AA+
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- Visibly Round to Near Round
- Very Good Luster
- Clean Nacre with 90-95% Inclusion-Free Surface
- Excellent Matching
- Top 5% of a Pearl Farms Harvest
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Other Grades
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AA
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- Near to Off-Round to Symmetrical Oval
- Good Luster
- Good Nacre with 80-90% Inclusion-Free Surface
- Good Matching
- Top 15%-20% of a Pearl Farms Harvest
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A/A+
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- Off-Round to Baroque
- Moderate Luster
- Medium Nacre with 70% Inclusion-Free Surface
- Good to Moderate Matching
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A
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- Very Off-Round to Baroque
- Moderate to Low Luster
- Moderate to Heavily Blemished Nacre
- Moderate Matching
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It is important to take extra care in caring for your pearl jewelry. Always store your pearl
jewelry away from your other jewelry to avoid scratches in the nacre.
Here are a few guidelines that will help you to keep your beautiful pearl jewelry
in premium condition for years to come.
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Problem
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Solution
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Dirt mixed with oil from your skin can corrode the nacre
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Wipe pearls with a damp cloth with water or mild soap to prevent corrosion of nacre.
Never use jewelry cleaner with ammonia or vinegar as this will damage
your pearls. Never use an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner as this will also damage your pearls.
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Lack of moisture from being stored in an air-tight container
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Pearls will crack if there is insufficient moisture.
Always include a damp cloth when storing your pearl jewelry.
MYTH: The oils in your skin will keep the nacre of your pearls moist and lustrous-looking.
The statement above is a myth, the oils in your skin can actually corrode and damage the nacre of your pearls
after many years of handling. Always wipe your pearls with a soft moist cloth after wearing.
This was just one of the many
tips our pearl gemstone expert learned while attending the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for her Pearls Graduate Degree.
All of the pearls we use at BeadifulBABY® are hand-selected by our very own BeadifulBABY® pearl expert - a
Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Pearls graduate.
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Corrosion of nacre
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Never use harsh chemicals around your pearl jewelry.
Put your pearl jewelry on only after applying makeup and perfume, as these products
will corrode the nacre of your pearls.
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Dirty, worn stringing material
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If your pearl jewelry is strung using jewelers silk it is best to restring your pearls
once a year to insure the string stays strong thus avoiding breakage and loss of your
valuable pearls.
We offer pearl jewelry both strung on fine jeweler's silk and on quality beading wire. We
hand create jewelry for babies and young children so we want to make sure each piece
of jewelry is extremely durable. Beading wire provides added durability against breakage.
Jewelers silk is used to keep your pearls form touching each other, thus preventing scratches, and
from losing all of your pearls should the silk break.
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