"Australian pearl,
The queen of pearls"

Australian pearl or South-seas pearl, also known as "The queen of the pearls" because of its beauty, great size and unusual luster, it comes from the biggest pearl oyster in the world: Pinctada Maxima. They are natural pearls, unlike Freshwater pearls, they are cultured in sea-water, mainly in Australian, Myanmar, Indonesia seas and other Pacific countries. Unlike the most of jewels, a pearl is an organic gem, in other words, it comes from a living creature. They requires a culture time between 3 and 8 years. Australian pearl is an exceptional kind of pearl due to its great size that fluctuates between 9 and 20 mm. what makes Australian pearl the most valuable in the market.

Shape

Australian pearls have a great variety of shapes, and they tend to be more rounded than Freshwater pearl. As follows we show the most common examples, See representative image:

- Rounded: generally, this is the most valuable variety. The rounded pearl is symmetrical and it rolls straight.

- Baroques: This indicates an irregular shape of pearl. Generally they are less valuable, but there may be more expensive samples than rounded pearls.

- Semi-rounded: these are the most rounded pearls, but without being completely rounded.

- Ribbed pearls: characterized by regular lines or concave rings that are perpendicular to an axis of revolution superior to a third part of the surface of the pearl.

- Semi-baroque: this is a general term that includes several kinds of pearls: button, pear, drop or oval. In other words, all these pearls that are not in any of the previous groups of pearls.

Size

A pearl is measured by its diameter in millimeters. Australian pearls are the largest, fluctuating over between 10 and 20 mm. of diameter, though from 18 mm. its price shots up due to the lack of this kind of pearls.

The Australian pearl size that Monperla offers goes from 10 mm. (the smallest) to 18 mm. and they are the best quality you can find. See representative image

Quality

The quality of a pearl is determined by its luster and surface quality:

- The luster or culture of a pearl is concerned to its luminosity (the way that light is reflected on its surface), as well as its inner bright (how light is refracted in its nacre layers). Number of layers. A very beautiful luster belongs to a total reflection of light, providing a mirror effect. A pearl without bright has a dull appearance.

- The quality of the surface of a pearl is determined by the type and quantity of impurities that it contains. Cleaner would be the pearl; higher would be its value.

In order to determine the quality of a pearl there is an adjustment letter-system more or less standardized. This system is the same for every kind of pearl, except for Tahiti pearls, which have their own system. Monperla only works with the most valuable pearls in the market, which are A, AA and AAA, See representative image:

1. AAA: very bright luster and a surface without impurities.

2. AA: bright luster and a surface without impurities.

3. A: less bright luster and there can be some impurities in the surface.

Color

Color is not a representative factor in order to determinate the value of a pearl, it depends on the customer. From the most luminous white to the brightest gold, including silver and pink tonalities; this is the color range that Australian pearls offer.

In order to know more about another kinds of pearls see the section The Pearl.