Wedding Jewellery and choices of Pearls for the Bride

Information on Buying Wedding Pearl Jewellery

Wedding jewellery can be quite tricky to get right and an excellent choice of jewellery types to consider is pearl jewellery. Information on pearls is not readily available in our high streets but there is an abundance of information on the internet. Pearls are an excellent choice to compliment a wedding dress and when chosen correctly look wonderful as a necklace or earrings. However there are a few points to consider as pearls come in many different colours and grades. They are divided into four types as follows:

Akoya Pearls -- There is nothing more classic than a Bride in a white flowing gown, her neck draped with dazzling Akoya pearls. These pearls known for their brilliant luster, elegance and infinite versatility are perfect for your bride if she wants a traditional wedding.

Cultured Freshwater Pearls – These are the latest best-kept secret. Cultured Freshwater Pearls that look very similar to South Sea pearls in size and luster are the affordable alternative to the Akoya. With uniformly round shapes, exceptional luster, shimmering orient, and an array of natural colors such as peach, lavender and white, these pearls are sure to charm and surprise your beautiful bride who’s looking for a more modern and contemporary wedding.

Tahitian Pearls -- If you’re looking for something truly one of a kind. If you’re looking for a pearl that’s as individual as her owner, look no further. Available in a tantalizing array of bold colors such as peacock, pistachio green and silver Tahitian Pearls are perfect for an exotic wedding.

White or Golden South Sea – These pearls will captivate the woman you’re about to marry! Available in an array of colors from the palest moonlight to molten gold, these pearls display a satiny luster that begs to be touched! Celebrated by collectors everywhere for their amazing sizes, your bride will feel very sophisticated when wearing these pearls down the aisle!

Pearls do come in differing grades but to this day dealers still have trouble agreeing upon a standard grading scale but they do have a system to grade the quality, shape and lustre. Below is a list of grades to look out for on your purchase.

A/A+: “A” quality is the lowest quality that is commercially available. They will be off-shape and only moderately matched. The surface will have wrinkles, small cracks, white or brownish spots, dimples and other nasty blemishes that can affect the long-term quality of the pearl.

AA: This quality has less than 15% surface inclusions, and will have fair to good luster. You should see a hazy reflection of yourself when looking at the surface. The shape will be round or with freshwater pearls, near-round and the matching job should be well done.

AA+: The luster will be slightly sharper than the AA pearl. You should be able to see your reflection in the pearl and some background detail. Surface inclusions will be down to 10%. These pearls will be perfectly round in shape and well-matched.

AAA: The ‘gem-quality’ pearl has less than 5% inclusions over its surface, and can be completely free of inclusions. Luster can vary slightly from pearl to pearl, but it will be sharper than AA+ quality. The nacre will be at its’ thickest, and should present a glowing surface that is slightly translucent. The shapes and matching of a strand of rounds should be excellent with little to no variation.

*HANADAMA: These pearls radiate light with a strong silvery-rose overtone, and display Orient, rainbow iridescences that shimmer on the pearl’s surface are the absolute best Akoya pearls that you can buy.