Have you ever been perplexed about a beautiful strand of South Sea pearls or paused at the checkout for a lustrous Akoya pearl ring? Shopping for pearl jewellery can feel like a complex task, especially as there are many different types, qualities and styles to consider. Here, Peggy Grozs, senior vice president of Assael, helps us piece together a guide to pearl shopping and explains the important quality factors to consider, specifically lustre, surface, size and shape.

If aesthetics and style are the cover of a jewel’s book, then the quality of the materials it is crafted with are the chapters, bursting with information, characters and origin stories. Pearls have the power to immediately draw us in, whether they’re contained to a single strand or set in high jewellery creations. But when it comes to making informed purchasing decisions, it’s important to look a little deeper and question the quality of the pearls used, not just their visual appeal.