Unlike diamonds, which have an internationally recognized 4C grading system, pearls don't have such a standardized system. Therefore, people in the pearl business, such as dealers and retailers, use their own valuation methods. However, there are some common factors that are considered important. These include the size, shape, luster, and surface of the pearl. Generally, pearls increase significantly in value if they are larger, rounder in shape, have high luster, and clean surfaces.
However, imitation pearls don't need to be evaluated individually like cultured pearls because they have perfect uniformity in size, shape, and luster. Especially high-quality imitation pearls like Swarovski pearls have all pearls perfectly identical.
coated impurities, dye concentrations, coating peeling, scratches
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However, skilled pearl jewelry craftsmen can still identify problematic pearls even among such imitation pearls. Imitation pearls often have surface issues. Typical examples are dye concentrations, impurities coated on surfaces, or pitting.
Swarovski’s patented lead-free crystal
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Downtown Juliet has its own quality grading system called DTJ GRADE and gives it to the highest quality pearls that have filtered out problematic pearls as described above. The imitation pearl given DTJ GRADE must meet two conditions: First, it must be clean without any surface impurities or dye concentration (verified by craftsmen), and second, it must not contain harmful ingredients such as lead (certified by the manufacturer). Therefore, we only use Swarovski pearls that meet the LEAD FREE standard and if it passes the detailed inspection by handcraft workers, it is given a DTJ GRADE to produce jewelry.
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