Freshwater pearls are one of the most varied cultured pearl categories. They may be tissue-nucleated, bead-nucleated, or grown with shaped nuclei, and they can appear in a wide range of sizes, shapes, colors, and qualities.

Because of this diversity, freshwater pearls should be evaluated within their specific type. A tissue-nucleated near-round strand, a bead-nucleated round pearl, a baroque pearl, and a fancy-shaped pearl should not all be judged by the same expectations.

In this section, we will apply GIA’s seven pearl value factors: size, shape, color, luster, surface quality, nacre quality, and matching. These factors provide a consistent way to observe, compare, and explain freshwater pearl quality.