Start with the type
The four main cultured pearls, roughly from usually least to usually most expensive at the same size:
- Freshwater: one mussel can grow many pearls at once, which helps keep prices lower.
- Akoya: one pearl at a time, 10 to 24 months to grow, and a 9 mm akoya is already large and rare.
- Tahitian: one pearl per oyster, about 18 to 24 months; sizes over 14 mm cost more.
- South Sea: one pearl per oyster, often 2 to 4 years to grow, and the largest sizes.
Growth facts from GIA. Natural pearls are a different market entirely: La Peregrina, a famous natural pearl, sold for more than $11 million in 2011.
Then the seven value factors
| Factor | What raises value |
|---|---|
| Size | Bigger, within each type's normal range |
| Shape | Round is the most valued; symmetrical drops are also sought after |
| Color | Natural, attractive bodycolor with overtone; for Tahitian, GIA calls peacock the most valuable overtone |
| Luster | Sharp, bright reflections (GIA grades Excellent to Poor) |
| Surface | Fewer blemishes (Clean to Heavily Spotted) |
| Nacre | Thick enough to be durable; thin or damaged nacre lowers value |
| Matching | Pearls in a strand or pair that look alike |
Score a pearl yourself with the pearl quality checker, or read pearl grading explained.
What lowers value
- Treatments. Bleaching is routine, but dyeing, irradiation and coatings should be disclosed, and some dyed colors fade (GIA). See pearl treatments.
- Wear. Nacre is soft (2.5 to 3.0 on the Mohs scale). Scratches, worn spots and a stretched or dirty string all count against a strand.
What readers actually paid
We do not publish price estimates we cannot back up. Instead, readers share what they paid, and each pearl type page shows the typical price once at least five people have reported it. See what people paid for pearls, and add yours. It is anonymous.
Selling pearls
If you want to sell, a written appraisal from an independent appraiser and, for anything that might be natural, a lab report will tell you what you have.
