There is no standard way to grade pearls, and each company may use different standards. That's why it is so difficult to compare pearls between companies. One company's AAA grade pearls may be another's A grade.

Since Pearl Oasis only sells pearls, we know the proper way to grade them and we tell you how we do it. Each pearl jewelry item in our catalog is personally graded by our owner, Sunny Chen, who has been trained by the G.I.A. in proper pearl grading and has been grading pearls for more than 10 years. Each of our item descriptions include complete and accurate grading information. Other jewelry retailers do not provide any pearl grading information.

Akoya Pearl Grading

We grade our akoya cultured pearls using the GIA Gem Pearl Master Comparison Set and tell you the grade of all the akoya cultured pearls we sell. Others don't tell you the grade of their akoya cultured pearls or don't tell you the standards they use to grade their akoya cultured pearls. Find out how Pearl Oasis grades our akoya cultured pearls by clicking here.

For our best quality akoya cultured pearls, we additionally compare with actual Famous Brand akoya jewelry. We were the first to actually compare our pearls with the Famous Brand. Other on-line retailers say their pearls compare, but offer no proof.

Tahitian Black Pearl Grading

We grade our Tahitian black pearls using standards established by the Tahitian government and tell you what those standards are. All the Tahitian black pearls you see in the Pearl Oasis on-line catalog are one-of-a-kind and are the actual Tahitian black pearls you will receive.

South Sea Pearl Grading

Our South Sea pearls are graded using the standards established by The South Sea Pearl Consortium, the trade association of South Sea Pearl farmers and distributors. All the South Sea pearls you see in the Pearl Oasis on-line catalog are one-of-a-kind and are the actual South Sea pearls you will receive.

How NOT to grade pearls

Some on-line retailers of pearl jewelry are simply are not being honest about the quality of their pearls. There are retailers using the term "gem quality" to describe their cultured pearls. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission considers this a deceptive practice. The Federal regulations state: Use of the word "gem" with respect to cultured pearls should be avoided since few cultured pearls possess the necessary qualifications to properly be termed "gems." Other retailers are using the term "flawless" to describe their pearls. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission states: It is unfair or deceptive to use the word "flawless" as a quality description of any gemstone that discloses blemishes, inclusions, or clarity faults of any sort when examined under a corrected magnifier at 10-power, with adequate illumination, by a person skilled in gemstone grading. If you see a retailer using these terms to describe their pearls, they are not being honest.