FRESHWATER PEARLS
Luster
Lustre is the most important factor in choosing
pearls.
The inner glow of the pearl together with the
surface brilliance defines its lustre. The higher
the lustre, the thicker the nacre and the stronger
the glow. Lower quality cultured pearls appear too
white, dull or chalky.
Cultured Pearl Luster
 Luster
is what makes pearls unique, so it is often the key
factor to determining a pearl's worth. No other
gemstone reflects light the same way as a
pearl.
The amount of luster a pearl has depends upon
how each layer of nacre developed and the nacre's
translucence
Pearls with little luster are much less valuable
than ones that have a spectacular sheen. Most
pearls with poor luster never make it to the gem
market but are used in products in the cosmetics
and pharmaceutical industries.
So Shiny You Can See Yourself
A high luster pearl will be so shiny that you
will be able to see objects in it, just as you can
in a spoon. The pearl farming industry continues to
make great strides to increase luster in pearls and
in recent years they have achieved high
results.
The Winner In The Luster
Category
Chinese pearls lead the way. The water in Japan
and China is cooler and pearl experts believe that
cold water causes the nacre layers to take longer
to develop which increases the chances of excellent
luster.
Luster is produced by light entering the pearl
and reflecting back through the layers of nacre and
the quality of the luster is directly related to
how even and smooth the layers of nacre are.
The unique luster of pearls depends upon the
reflection and refraction of light from the
translucent layers and is finer in proportion as
the layers become thinner and more numerous. The
irridescence that some pearls display is caused by
the overlapping of successive layers, which breaks
up light falling on the surface.
Pearls are usually white, sometimes with a
creamy or pinkish tinge, but may be tinted with
yellow, green, blue, brown, purple, or black. Black
pearls, frequently referred to as Black Tahitian
Pearls, are highly valued because of their rarity;
the culturing process for them dictates a smaller
volume output and they can never be mass
produced.
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