Pearl Jewelry – What Determines the High Prices?

Pearl Jewelry – What Determines the High Prices?

Posted: March 22, 2011 

Pearls are known to have a very high price. In the old times, people weren't even allowed to wear them unless they had a solid social position. But what makes them so expensive? Let's take a look at the manufacturing process. It all starts with fishing out thousands of conchs. To give you an idea of how complicated the whole process is, only a few out of 1,000 conchs have pearls. Then, one or two pearls out of 10,000 have good enough properties and characteristics to keep.

The value of a pearl is established by are the diameter, weight, color, brightness and shape. The weight is calculated in grains, so if you ever shop for pearl jewelry, make sure you don't mistake a grain for a gram. A gram is actually 20 grains. The brightness value is given by the reflection of a light source over the surface of the pearl. The bigger the contour is, the more valuable the pearl. The nacre iridescence is called orient and it also has an important say in establishing the value of a pearl.

Pearls come in multiple colors. The most valuable ones are the silver, white, pink, cream, golden, gray and black pearls. They may also have various tones. The Akoya pearls are some of the most important. They are usually pink, cream or silver.

Checking out all these characteristics takes a lot of time. A combination of all of these factors is what determines the value of a pearl. And when you spend days or even weeks to find a good pearl out of 10,000, the work is even harder. This is what keeps the pearl price very high.

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