How to Buy Pearls - Pearl Matching in Pearl Necklaces

You look at a white pearl necklace. The light makes it sparkle with subtle hints of pink. Every pearl matches perfectly from the smaller pearls near the clasp to the largest pearl in the middle. The pearl necklace is beautiful! How did it get that way? It starts at the Pearl Farm, continues at the Pearl Dealer. If you buy a Pearl Necklace, the work has been done for you. If you are a Jewelry Designer who makes pearl necklaces, you need to know how to do this. What we buy from Pearl Dealers is not well matched!

There are seven Pearl Value Factors to be considered when making a pearl jewelry purchase. Pearl Matching is one of these. Pearl Matching refers to how well all the pearls in the strand of pearls match, one to another. A well-matched pearl necklace takes into consideration all the other Pearl Value Factors. The Match refers to the remaining Value Factors: Size, Color, Luster, Surface, Shape and Nacre. As simple as a traditional white pearl necklace appears, the process of matching pearls is quite complex. And this process has not varied from the time it first began.

When visiting a Pearl Jewelry Factory, there is always a room with a wall of windows looking northward. Northern exposures provide the best light for viewing pearls. This provides bright, indirect light. Often the windows will be covered with shades or frosted glass. Diffuse bright light is best for examining pearls in order to get an accurate body color and overtone for each pearl. Pearls are examined by trained technicians. Computers cannot do this work. Every pearl necklace is been assembled by hand.

For the purposes of this article, assume that some of the pearl processing has already occurred. We are not starting at the oyster harvest. Pearls have already been sorted by their relative size. This means that they have been quickly sorted into like-sized groups. We can also assume that the Pearl Jewely Factory purchased pearls of similar quality from the pearl farm. But, just like buying a bushel of peaches from a Farmers' Market, the pearls must still be evaluated. They will not all be exactly the same size. Nor will they be exactly the same quality. They will not even be the same shape - some will be closer to perfectly round than others.

In our particular matching case, we are working with several strands of white pearls that are close to round. There are many decisions to be made about what pearls to include in our pearl necklace.

1. The pearls are laid out under a bright light against a neutral background. Use a daylight-accurate lightbulb if you don't have a natural light source. Spread pearls on a white or pale grey cloth or bead tray.

    

2. Throw out any pearls with cracked nacre that exposes the bead nucleus.

    

3. Look first for common body color and start grouping these together. Move the rejected pearls to another area.

    

4. From your common body color, identify a common overtone. This will be the haloed color in the center of the pearl. In white pearls, this is usually rosè, green or silver. Group the pearls by common overtone.

    

5. Start organizing the groups by size, especially if this will be a graduated pearl necklace.

    

6. As the pearl necklace begins to take shape, identify the pearls with the highest luster. Place these pearls near the center of the pearl necklace. These will catch the most light when worn -- don't hide them near the clasp!

    

7. Once you have a full pearl necklace length, look at the nacre, surface and shape of the pearls in your necklace. Identify any pearls that are too off-round or are too blemished. Do this by rotating each pearl and examining it in the light. Look for flaws but also for beauty. Swap pearls in and out of the final group and also swap positions within the pearl necklace. Sometimes the position of a single pearl within the necklace can improve the overall matching of a necklace. It often takes longer to lay out the pearls in a pearl necklace than it will to add knots to the necklace after matching.

I have watched skilled technicians match pearls; they make it look effortless. They are fast! Matching pearls takes practice, but it is a good skill to have.

Beth Schmitz, CEO Avant Pearl, GIA Pearls Graduate

A jewelry designer, businesswoman and self-proclaimed diva, Ms. Schmitz spent more than 20 years in business. Her creative side took control in 2001 when she chose to dedicate her life to the jewelry industry and the smart women like her who appreciate gorgeous baubles and have the means to pay for them.

Beth's online pearl jewelry boutique, AvantPearl.com, features high-end pearl jewelry from leading designers, limited-edition manufacturers and skilled craftsmen throughout the world. She holds a degree from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.