CIBJO’s Pearl Commission has released the first edition of the CIBJO Guide for Classifying Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls. The 62-page illustrated document provides an overarching view of natural and cultured pearls, from both seawater and freshwater sources, and highlights the important parameters by which their appearance can be described and assessed in terms of physical dimensions and quality. It is designed to serve as a reference point and a source of information for both the general public and the jewelry trade.

The CIBJO Guide for Classifying Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls can be downloaded free of charge from the CIBJO website.

Complementing the CIBJO Pearl Blue Book, which is also produced by the Pearl Commission and is considered the authoritative reference for technical standards and nomenclature in the pearl sector, the CIBJO Guide for Classifying Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls is a primer about pearls tailored for jewellery consumers and pearl lovers, and is designed to serve as an educational tool for the pearl and jewelry trades, and gemmological laboratories.

“The CIBJO Guide for Classifying Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls is a tremendous resource, intended to provide consumers and the trade with accurate and easily-to-comprehend information about this increasingly popular jewellery category,” said Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, President, CIBJO.

“I encourage all members of the industry, and in particular jewellery retailers, to download the CIBJO Guide for Classifying Natural Pearls and Cultured Pearls and to make it available to their clientele. Knowledge breeds consumer confidence, and that ultimately is our primary objective,” he added.