Quality Factors of Chinese Freshwater Cultured Pearls
The tremendous popularity of Chinese freshwater cultured pearls is due to the variety of shapes and colours, which cover the whole range from high-class jewelry to average necklaces. However, the variety makes it impossible to establish a general grading or evaluation system.
Size: The size of Chinese freshwater pearls range from 2mm to 15mm. Among 8-9mm pearls, there is only about 0.01% of production for really round shapes. Sizes of over 12mm are rare.
Shape: Perfectly round pearls are still a rarity, they are 0.0025% of Chinese freshwater pearls. About 3% is nearly round to round and about 10~20% is nearly round to “potato-shaped”, oval or egg-shaped. About 80~90% of the half remaining of Chinese freshwater pearls are the rice crispies and the other half comes in baroque shapes.
Color: Chinese freshwater cultured pearls are either white or cream or come in a range of natural colors. Pearls from Cristaria plicata are either white or light pink. The colors range from pink to orange, orange-yellow, orange-brown, gold and brown to purple, violet and lilac. The colors occur in light pastel hues to intense, dark hues. There is no real grading system for the color of Chinese freshwater cultured pearls. Individual beauty is the most important criterion, although it is generally try that intense hues are evaluated higher than pastel hues.
Luster: Luster can be graded according to the system for Japanese Akoya cultured pearls, but the system should be applied rather generously. The majority of Chinese freshwater cultured pearls must be include in the good to medium ranges.
Surface: The surfaces of Chinese freshwater cultured pearls can be smooth and even, but often show distinct growth characteristics and wrinkling. Circled pearls are usually graded under the factor “shape”, if the circles account for more than one third of the surface. The Japanese Akoya system can be used as a guideline, and again, it should be applied rather generously.
Qifu Pearl Processing Co.,Ltd. combines the design with processing, domestic wholesale pearls and export of Akoya pearl cultivation, Akoya , South Sea Pearl freshwater pearl and pearl jewelry series of products. It is one of the earliest established and most competitive enterprises in domestic pearl process industry with over 20 years.
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