Diamonds Diamond History     What Exactly is a Diamond     Diamonds as a Symbol     The Art of Diamond Cutting Choosing a Diamond Shape Buying a Loose Diamond The Anatomy of a Loose Diamond Diamond Laser Inscription Five Diamond Cs     Certification     Carat     Clarity     Color     Cut Intro to Cut What is a "loose diamond" Ideal Cut Diamonds Hearts & Arrows Cut Why Buy SUPERBcert®     Importance of Cut     Measurable Beauty     The BrillianceScope SUPERBcert® Princess Cut Gems Buying a Gem Metals Ring Metals Ring Sizes Designer Rings by Vatche Pearls Buying Pearls Care of Pearls Pearl Farming How Pearls Grow The History of the Pearl Manufacturing Pearls Pearl Rarity Varieties of Pearls Care Diamond Cleaning Gemstone Care Glossary

Sorting

Unlike imitation pearls, no two cultured pearls are ever exactly alike. Each has its own unique combination of size, shape, lustre and color. The art of assembling pearls in a necklace, a pair of earrings or other jewelry calls for refined skills in blending similar looking pearls together so they look like they match. Here, pearls are sorted by experts with highly trained eyes and years of experience.

Drilling

Drill holes must be made with care and precision. An inexperienced operator can split or ruin pearls with careless handling. A hole drilled even slightly off-center can ruin a necklace or piece of jewelry that depends upon the symmetrical assembly of its pearls. This stage in the preparation of cultured pearls for jewelry is a very delicate operation.

Stringing and Blending

Because no two cultured pearls are ever exactly alike, pearl dealers must cull through about 10,000 pearls to find enough that are so closely matched that they can be assembled together to make a single necklace. Here, closely matching pearls are blended to be strung into a beautiful necklace.