Freshwater pearl grading (AA+ vs AAA vs Gem Grade)

Pearl Expert Kevin Canning discusses the difference between AA+, AAA and Gem grade freshwater pearls.

Transcript:

Okay guys, we're zoomed in here. We're looking at a strand of AA+ freshwater pearls from Pearls of Joy. Very nice pearls. You can see good luster. I can see nice shape. It's not perfectly round. A little bit of oval shaped here and there. Well worn, this strand is going to appear round but very nice. Super nice surface. You know, I can spot a couple of little imperfections if I really look. You'd have to know what you're looking for, and you'd have to be looking very close to spot anything. So overall, a very nice strand. It's a great starter strand of pearls for a young girl. This is a super nice string of pearls.

If we bring in the AAA freshwater pearls, so not a huge jump up. I mean, this is AA+ to AAA. Not a massive jump. A lot of what we're seeing is rounder pearls. I'm seeing a rounder shape and a little bit better luster. Both strands, I mean the AAA, I'm not really seeing any imperfections. If you look very close, you'd be able to find a couple here and there. I'm not spotting any at the moment. So really, you're just seeing a little bit better shape and a little bit luster, not a huge jump.

Now, this is where it gets cool. This is where we start to really make some big jumps and bring in the gem-grade freshwater pearl. This is an exceptional strand of pearls. Fifteen years ago, they didn't even think this was going to be possible with freshwater pearls. What you're seeing there is a huge jump in luster. I mean, look, it is metallic. That luster is closer to a saltwater Akoya pearl than it is a traditional freshwater pearl. That is just fantastic.

The shape on the pearl, basically perfectly round. You know, I'm seeing a little bit of variation just because I know what I'm looking for. You would look at that and you'd say that's a round pearl. And the luster, it is basically metallic-like luster. Just fantastic.

There you have it guys. You have a AA+ pearl. We have a AAA freshwater pearl. Then we have the gem-grade freshwater pearl. That's what you're paying for. As you go a little bit up in quality to the AAA, to the gem-grade, you're getting rounder pearls and you're getting higher luster. Hopefully, you find this useful.

If you have any questions let us know. If not, hopefully, this was useful. My name's Kevin Canning, owner of Pearls of Joy. Thanks for watching.

[dayangmarikit]

I prefer freshwater pearls over Akoya pearls because they are solid nacre. Being affordable makes them even more attractive. I'm also not bothered by some slight imperfections in terms of shape, Akoyas are "cheating" anyway because they are bead nucleated and the nacre covering them isn't thick, which basically means that they're beads plated with nacre.

[kristenanderson]

I love pearls and I love to wear the birthstone of people I care about. My favorite gemstones currently are: Topaz, Opal, Sapphire, Peridot, Garnet, Pearl, and Amber.

[nspector]

Kevin, thank you. This is great. I'm hoping to buy a strand of your pearls. This is really helpful.

[austinlim]

Interesting maybe it's just me but while the metallic quality and luster is nice. I really like freshwater pearls for having that pastel yndertone of pink

[shakyfear]

Is it the same AAAA grade pearls and gem grade?

[salmaahmed]

Does some of the pearl look like the shapes of teeth?kindly respond for me

[jasonmetzker]

Can pearl strings also be worn by men in today's fashion scene?