QUALITY GRADING

Japanese Akoya

All of the Akoya pearls at PearlsOnly are Japanese Akoya pearls imported directly from Japan. All of our pearls are reviewed by the Japanese Pearl Export Association and tagged with the JPEA Tag to ensure quality and lasting value.
PearlsOnly uses the AAAA Pearl Quality Grading System to grade its Japanese pearls. All Japanese Akoya pearls are graded and assigned a grade on these following value factors:

Luster
Body
Shape
Nacre

Hanadama Grade
Our AAAA grade is reserved for the utmost best Japanese Pearls in the world. This quality is also referred to as Hanadama Quality. Pearls that achieve a grade of AAAA in ALL of the value factors, are of Hanadama Quality and can be Hanadama Certified. To learn more about Hanadama Pearls visit our Hanadama Education Pages.

Luster Grade

Luster or shine is the indication of how well the pearl reflects the light. A good way to think of luster is like a mirror. It is a very important value factor for the overall grade of the pearls.

Nice light reflection, reflected image slightly fuzzy

Luster Grade

Luster or shine is the indication of how well the pearl reflects the light. A good way to think of luster is like a mirror. It is a very important value factor for the overall grade of the pearls.

Nice light reflection, reflected image slightly fuzzy

Luster Grade

Luster or shine is the indication of how well the pearl reflects the light. A good way to think of luster is like a mirror. It is a very important value factor for the overall grade of the pearls.

Nice light reflection, reflected image slightly fuzzy

Luster Grade

Luster or shine is the indication of how well the pearl reflects the light. A good way to think of luster is like a mirror. It is a very important value factor for the overall grade of the pearls.

Nice light reflection, reflected image slightly fuzzy