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Pearl

Perfect shining spheres. Lustrous baroque forms. Seductive strands, warm to the touch. Pearls are simply and purely organic.

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Beautiful Luster

Pearl’s special luster sets it apart from other gems.

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Perfect Sphere

Perfectly spherical pearls of excellent quality are extreme rarities.

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Smooth as Silk

Few pearls are completely blemish free.

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Gemstones

Pearl (422) Diamond (172) Sapphire (103) Ruby (92) Emerald (80) See All Gemstones

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XClear Selections
Figure 1. A dark gray and brown hollow natural pearl (2.89 ct, 11.13 × 10.47 × 10.16 mm) with a surface opening. The four fragments next to the pearl were recovered from its opening. Photos by Gaurav Bera.
Low-Heft Hollow Natural Pearl with an Opening

Nishka Vaz and Abeer Al-Alawi, November 17, 2025

Organic-rich material is observed through an opening in a hollow natural pearl.

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Figure 1. Two partially drilled button-shaped light cream assembled pearls weighing 7.40 and 9.37 ct, respectively, mounted in a pair of earrings. Photo by Gaurav Bera.
Two Assembled Pearls

Roxane Bhot Jain, Abeer Al-Alawi, and Chunhui Zhou, November 17, 2025

Natural pearl cores are used to simulate the appearance of natural pearl growth in two assembled pearls mounted in a pair of earrings.

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A non-nacreous 0.085 ct pearl with a unique netted surface resembling the exterior of a melon. Photomicrograph by Pfokreni Nipuni; field of view 4.0 mm.
“Melon” Pearl

Pfokreni Nipuni and Abeer Al-Alawi, November 17, 2025

A non-nacreous pearl with a netted surface resembles the exterior of a melon.

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Figure 1. The white imitation pearl measuring approximately 1.70 × 1.12 mm and weighing 0.01 ct. Photo by Gaurav Bera.
Imitation Seed Pearl with Blue X-Ray Fluorescence

Karan Rajguru, Anukul Belanke, and Abeer Al-Alawi, August 29, 2025

X-ray fluorescence screening is used to identify an imitation in a submission of more than 9,000 seed pearls.

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Figure 1. Polished and unpolished hinge ligaments with a Pinctada maxima shell. Photo by Annie Haynes.
Iridescent Gems Cut from Hinge Ligament of South Sea Pearl Oyster (Pinctada maxima)

Yusuke Katsurada, Artitaya Homkrajae, and Amiroh Steen, August 29, 2025

Biogenic material from a pearl oyster is used to produce a new eye-catching blue-green iridescent gem material.

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Figure 1. Three large, reportedly natural pearls with hollow interiors from the Pinctada radiata species from Bahrain, weighing 1.97, 3.92, and 6.13 ct, respectively. Photo by Gaurav Bera.
Three Large Natural Hollow Pinctada radiata Pearls

Prasad Mane, Roxane Bhot Jain, and Abeer Al-Alawi, August 29, 2025

Three large natural pearls with hollow interiors reportedly from Bahrain are studied in the Mumbai laboratory.

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A thin layer of iridescent aragonite overlays the prismatic calcite of a Pinnidae shell, creating a captivating iridescent effect. Photomicrograph by Ravenya Atchalak; field of view 2.88 mm.
Iridescent Pen Shell

Ravenya Atchalak, August 29, 2025

Aragonite and calcite create a captivating iridescent effect in a Pinnidae shell.

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Figure 1. Group of 81 hybrid akoya bead cultured pearls ranging from 4.00 × 3.93 mm to 6.44 × 6.28 mm. Photo by Nuttapol Kitdee.
Exceptional Nacre Thickness of Hybrid Akoya Bead Cultured Pearls

Kwanreun Lawanwong, Ravenya Atchalak, and Emiko Yazawa, August 29, 2025

GIA’s Bangkok laboratory reports on a hybrid mollusk species that can produce bead cultured pearls with a thicker nacre layer.

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“Goose bumps” on the surface of a 12 mm golden South Sea pearl. Photomicrograph by Le Ngoc Nang; field of view 5 mm.
“Goose Bumps” on South Sea Pearl

Le Ngoc Nang, August 29, 2025

Pinpoints densely cover the surface of a golden South Sea pearl.

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Figure 1. An example of a pearl showing both a clean surface and excellent nacre (lacks any visible surface or sub-surface characteristics) based on the GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors. Photo by Eric Welch.
GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors: An Update on Nacre Classification

Akira Hyatt, Emiko Yazawa, and Chunhui Zhou, August 29, 2025

A new nacre scale is established in the GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors classification system.

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This Month's

Featured Gems

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Peridot

Found in lava, meteorites, and deep in the earth’s mantle, yellow-green peridot is the extreme gem.
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Fancy Color Diamond

Dazzling brilliance. Captivating color. These are the planet’s most valued gems.
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Diamond

Diamonds are among nature’s most precious and beautiful creations.
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Emerald

Emerald is the bluish green to green variety of beryl, a mineral species that includes aquamarine.
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Citrine

Citrine is the transparent, pale yellow to brownish orange variety of quartz.

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