Diamonds International boasts a collection of fine pearls selected for their exceptional qualities.

All pearls are purchased and singled out according to Kokichi Mikimoto’s criteria, whereby only five per cent of the world’s pearl production meets its strict quality standards.

Pearls have been cherished from the earliest times of mankind for their incomparable loveliness.

Due to the beauty of their natural, lustrous and iridescent surface, pearls are one of the most beautiful and fascinating gifts of nature.

There are two types of pearls – the natural pearl, which is a product of nature, and the cultured one, which is a natural product helped along by science.

To produce cultured pearls, a nucleus is implanted into the mollusk to stimulate nacre production and, over a few years, nacre builds up layer by layer, ultimately creating the pearl.

The nacre is the key determining factor in the pearl’s lustre. Lustre (or brilliance) is the way a pearl reflects light off its surface.

The more exceptional the lustre, the more mirror-like the pearl’s reflection and the higher the grade of pearl. A pearl’s lustre is also affected by surface quality.

Pearls’ imperfections are part of their natural texture and individual character.

Only a small percentage of pearls have a totally smooth surface. Most have pits, bumps and cracks due to their natural creation.

So the more perfect the surface, the more rare the pearl, and the higher the grade it will obtain. Pearls are also more valuable if their colour is uniform and profound.

The size of a pearl can vary between two and 10 millimetres. In general, the closer the pearl is to a perfect sphere in shape, the higher its value and grade. Teardrop, oval, baroque, button and semi-round-shaped pearls are often favoured by those wanting a more alternative look.

As a result, certain alternative shapes of certain pearl types can achieve a high value because of their rareness, and sometimes a higher grade as well.