How Does The Pearl Source’s AAAA Compare With Another Seller’s AAA?

The two grades can’t be matched up by the letters alone. Pearl letter grades are set by each seller, there is no universal grading standard, and GIA does not assign A to AAAA grades. An AAAA strand from one seller and an AAA strand from another could be very close in quality, but they could also be quite far apart.

The reliable way to compare is to look past the label. Check what each seller says its grade means, then compare the pearls on the same factors: luster, surface, shape, size, matching and nacre. The Pearl Source publishes its grading criteria for each pearl type, which gives you something concrete to hold another seller’s description against.

Why This Question Comes Up

Shoppers usually ask this after seeing two similar strands with different grades and prices. When a higher letter grade costs less than a lower one elsewhere, it is reasonable to wonder whether the grades mean the same thing.

They often don’t, because each seller builds its own scale. Scales can also change by pearl type within one seller. At The Pearl Source, AAAA is the top grade for Freshwater, Tahitian and South Sea pearls, while Akoya pearls run from A to AAA, with AA+ between AA and AAA and Hanadama at the top. An AAA Akoya strand and an AAA Freshwater strand from the same seller are graded against different criteria.

What a Grade Actually Tells You

A letter grade is a summary of how a seller ranks its own pearls, but it only really becomes useful once you read the definition behind it.

For Freshwater pearls, The Pearl Source defines AAAA as round pearls with very high luster and at least 95% of the surface clean. Its AAA Freshwater grade is near round to round, with high luster and at least 90% of the surface clean. Another seller’s AAA will have its own definition, and that definition is what you compare, not the letters.

What to Compare Instead

A letter grade only means something once you know how the seller defines it. Since two sellers can use the same letters for different standards, compare the pearls themselves on these points before comparing the grades.

• Luster: how bright and sharp the reflections are, which is often considered the most important quality factor
• Surface: how much of the pearl is clean, and how visible any blemishes are
• Shape: round, near round or off round
• Size: the millimeter range, since larger pearls of the same type and quality cost more
• Matching: how consistent the pearls in a strand or pair are with each other
• Nacre: where it can be assessed, since thin nacre affects both luster and durability
• Treatments: whether the seller states if the pearls have been treated or dyed
• Disclosure: whether these details are given for the specific piece, not only on a general grading page

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating one seller’s AAAA as automatically better than another seller’s AAA
• Assuming a letter grade was assigned by GIA or another independent lab
• Comparing grades across pearl types as if they share one scale
• Comparing price by grade alone, without checking size, luster and surface
• Relying on a grade when the seller doesn’t publish what it means

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