Pearlsofnature - value of a pearl

Value of a natural pearl:

Quality natural pearls are very rare jewels. The actual value of a natural pearl is determined in the same way as it would be for other “precious” gems. The valuation factors include: size, shape, quality of surface, orient and lustre.

Single natural pearls are often sold as a collector’s item, or set as centrepieces in unique jewellery. Very few matched strands of natural pearls exist, and those that do often sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Keshi pearls, although they often occur by chance, are not considered natural pearls. They are a by-product of the culturing process, and hence do not happen without human intervention. These pearls are quite small: typically a few millimetre's in size. Many different types of marine molluscs and freshwater mussels in China produce Keshi pearls. Today many “Keshi” pearls are actually intentional, with post-harvest shells returned to the water to regenerate a pearl in the existing pearl sac.

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