Always have pearls strung on silk thread with a knot between each pearl to avoid abrasion and to prevent loss if the string should break. The following quality factors will help you to evaluate the best quality cultured pearls within your budget. Lustre - A combination of surface brilliance and a deep glow that seems to emanate from within the heart of a pearl. The lustre of a good quality pearl should be bright, not dull, enabling you to see your own reflection clearly on the surface. Surface - Because cultured pearls are grown in nature, it is rare to find a pearl whose surface is free from any type of blemish.
Blemishes can include disfiguring spots, bumps, pits and cracks on the surface of a pearl.
Shape - It is very rare to find a perfectly round pearl, but generally, the rounder the pearl, the more valuable it is. Cultured pearls also come in oval, pear and baroque shapes. Color - Cultured pearls come in a wide range of colors from pink to black. While the color of a pearl is often a matter of personal preference, people with fair skin tend to look best in slightly pink or silvery white pearls, while cream and golden pearls look best on those with darker complexions. Size - Cultured pearls are measured by their diameter in millimeters.