CIBJO Guide for Classifying Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls

MILAN, ITALY — CIBJO’s Pearl Commission has released the first edition of the CIBJO Guide for Classifying Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls. The 62-page illustrated document provides an overarching view of natural and cultured pearls, from both seawater and freshwater sources, and highlights the important parameters by which their appearance can be described and assessed in terms of physical dimensions and quality. It is designed to serve as a reference point and a source of information for both the the general public and the jewelry trade.

The CIBJO Guide for Classifying Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls can be downloaded free of charge here.

http://www.cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/21-02-17-CIBJO-Pearl-Guide.pdf

Complementing the CIBJO Pearl Blue Book, (http://www.cibjo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/20-12-22-Official-Pearl-Book.pdf) which is also produced by the Pearl Commission and is considered the authoritative reference for technical standards and nomenclature in the pearl sector, the CIBJO Guide for Classifying Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls is a primer about pearls tailored for jewellery consumers and pearl lovers, and is designed to serve as an educational tool for the pearl and jewelry trades, and gemmological laboratories.

Providing an overview of the various pearl categories in different parts of the world, the guide lists, describes and illustrates the primary pearl-producing molluscs, and the type of pearls that each yields. A comprehensive breakdown of the leading seawater and freshwater cultured pearl types in the market is provided, detailing the species, origin, characteristics and production of each. The richly illustrated guide details the system for classifying natural pearls from the Akoya complex and the system for classifying cultured pearls, and also supplies information about pearl treatments and other pearl types, such as keshi cultured pearls.