The kind of pearls woman wears defines her persona and desire to look elegant and beautiful. High quality ones are very much in demand and every woman adore them. The classic pearl necklace is the perfect choice for most weddings events.

Pearls are known for their unparalleled natural beauty and white color brilliance. Around the world, from royal princess to regular folks, everybody loves to wear gorgeous looking pearl jewelry. Since they come in wide array of attractive colors, designs and price range, it is important to know few things before you buy them.

Quality is the king. Better the quality higher goes the price. But it does not necessarily mean, one cannot get high quality jewelry at discounted prices. The online stores now are the best source to compare and buy at very competitive prices. They have much more control on the overheads than regular jewelry boutiques or departmental stores. Since most of them buy direct from source, they pass on these savings to customers.

1. How pearls are formed and where they come from?

A small mental piece or irritant is placed inside the oyster or mollusks As a result; the mollusk secretes a crystalline substance called nacre, which builds up in layers upon layers, surrounding the irritant thus forming the pearl overtime. Mikimoto of Japan had invented and patented this culturing technique of producing these beautiful natural gems in the coastal saltwater area of Japan. It normally takes 2 to 5 years depending upon oyster types, water and climatic conditions.

White color is synonymous with the pearls but they do come in other attractive colors such as black, gray, pink, cream and golden colors. Round pearls with clean surface with no blemishes on the surface and high lustrous quality are most sought after and typically command higher prices.

Akoya pearls, so called the saltwater ones largely came from Japan ever since Mikimoto made the cultured pearls very popular all around the world but now China lately has surpassed Japan in both quantity and quality. China is the largest producer of Freshwater pearls and akoya cultured ones.

South Sea pearls with golden overtones come from Australia and some other Indonesian regions whereas Tahitian pearls, the black metallic beauties are harvested from the pristine seawater of French Polynesian areas near Hawaii.

2. How pearls are graded and valued?

Pearls typically are graded and valued depending upon quality from A to tripleA by all jewelry merchants around the world. Highest-grade ones are those with the high luster and reflective mirror-like quality. Many jewelers often sell tripleA+ or higher to command higher prices projecting superior quality but in fact one may be paying more for the compromising quality.

If there is no much of budget constraint and looking for high-grade best quality pearl jewelry, one should look for triple A quality. Pearls indeed are timeless fashion statement.