Our freshwater pearls are marked with a quality stamp – Grade AAAA, AAA, AA+ or A. The stamp tells you how round the pearl is, how beautiful its luster is, how clean the surface is, and how well the pearls on the strand match each other. This way, you always know what you're getting before you add it to your cart.
Grade AAAA – Elite Quality
Our finest quality. The pearls are nearly perfectly round with an extraordinary, mirror-like luster, and only 0–5% of the surface bears natural marks. You get a strand where the pearls are matched to the highest degree with minimal variation – ideal for exclusive jewelry and gifts that need to be something truly special.
Grade AAA – Excellent Quality
A very high quality that comes close to AAAA. The pearls are close to perfectly round with an excellent, sharp luster and under 5% natural marks on the surface. The matching is beautiful and consistent throughout the entire strand, so you can confidently use them for necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry where the quality needs to be visible.
Grade AA+ – Very Good Quality
A really good quality for everyday jewelry. The pearls are round – a few can be slightly oval – with a very high luster and clear reflection. The surface has 5–10% natural marks, and the pearls match each other beautifully. A good choice when you want beautiful pearls that look fantastic without costing the same as our top qualities.
Grade A – Nice Quality
A nice quality with a natural, lively expression. Here you'll find a mix of round and slightly oval pearls with a good luster, and the surface can carry several natural marks. The variation from pearl to pearl is part of the charm, and this quality is particularly well suited for mix designs, baroque-inspired jewelry, and hobby projects where the raw look is a deliberate part of the style.
About the natural marks
Freshwater pearls are created in nature, and therefore you will always be able to find small marks and variations on the surface. This is not a defect, but a sign that the pearl is genuine and naturally formed. The higher the grade, the fewer the marks – but across all our qualities, we select each strand with care, so you can feel confident about what you receive.
Want to know more?
Read our full quality guide to freshwater pearls: Graded Quality Guide to Freshwater Pearls, where we go into more depth on each grade and offer helpful advice on how to choose the right quality for your project.