Pearl quality depends on several factors. For Freshwater pearls, the following aspects combined determine the overall quality and value of a pearl.

Luster: The reflectivity or shine of the pearl. Low quality pearls appear chalky, whereas high quality Freshwater pearls seem to glow with soft, yet high reflectivity.
Surface Quality: The quantity and severity (or lack) of blemishes on the pearl's surface. Even the lowest quality pearls we normally offer (AA+) have very few and insignificant blemishes. We do not sell pearls with heavy blemishing, which would include cracks, grooves, blisters or peeling skins. Blemishes should not be obvious to the naked eye at arm's length.
Nacre Thickness: Freshwater pearls are said to be 100% natrual nacre due to the way they are cultured. Unlike other cultured pearls which are implanted with bead nucleii, Freshwater pearls are implanted with a piece of mantle tissue that dissolves or decays while the nacre is developing. Freshwater pearls are said to be the closest thing to 100% natural pearls for this reason.
Shape: Pearls come in many shapes, from baroque to perfectly round. Our Freshwater pearls are near round in shape.
Size: Although irrelevant to pearl quality grading, pearl size affects the value of the pearl and is a factor in determining matching.
Matching: How closely multiple pearls match each other for all of the factors listed above.

Freshwater	AA+	AAA
Luster	Good	Very Good
Surface	90%+ Clean	95%+ Clean
Nacre	100% Nacre
Shape	Near Round (Unless Stated Otherwise)
Matching	Excellent (Unless Stated Otherwise)

Luster, or Surface Quality?

While our AAA quality pearls have superior luster and surface quality, we occasionally purchase strands of pearls that meet AAA standards for one of these grading factors, but not the other. When this happens, the pearls are classified as AA+ quality. Because of this, it is possible to purchase AA+ quality pearls that actually have AAA quality luster or AAA quality surface quality while the other factor fits within the AA+ quality grading scale.

When ordering AA+ quality, you may request an emphasis on either of these two factors. If you prefer an emphasis on luster, your pearls may be more lustrous than an average AA+ strand while the surface quality fits within the AA+ guidelines. Conversely, if you request an emphasis on surface quality, your pearls may have cleaner surfaces than average AA+ quality pearls while the luster fits within the AA+ guidelines.

The ability for us to select strands of AA+ quality strands based on your preference depends on our current inventory. Most customers will receive pearls that fit within the AA+ guidelines for both factors. If you want AAA quality luster and surfaces together, you will need to select AAA grade which guarantees AAA quality in all factors.