Pearl Color & Shape
Two pearls of the same type can read entirely differently. Color and shape are how. Here is the way we read each — and record it on every piece.
A body, and sometimes an overtone
Every pearl has a bodycolor — its underlying tone, present in any light. Some pearls carry an overtone as well: a second color that floats across the surface and shifts as the pearl turns.
Bodycolor
The foundation. One color, recorded on every pearl.
Overtone
The shimmer over the body. Named when present, marked Clean when not.
Bodycolor
Snow: Cool, clean white with almost no yellow. The classic Akoya body.
Cream: Warm white over a soft, buttery base. Most common in freshwater.
Ivory: Between white and cream — warm and soft, never cold.
Overtone
Rosé: A pale rose that floats across the body. The mark of fine Akoya.
Silver: A cool silver overtone — clean and crisp.
Green: A subtle green, most often seen in white South Sea.
Bodycolor
Pink: Soft, classic pink. Light and translucent.
Peach: Warm pink over an apricot base. Softer, warmer.
Lavender: Light purple-pink. Elegant and cool — unique to freshwater.
OvertoneClean: Pink pearls are read by body color. Overtone is faint here, and usually left unrecorded.
BodycolorChampagne: Light, soft gold near a warm white. Understated.
Honey: Warm amber gold, between champagne and deep gold.
Gold: Full, deep golden yellow. Rarer the deeper it runs.
OvertoneClean: Golden South Sea reads on body color. Overtone, when present, is faint.
BodycolorSilver: The light end of the dark spectrum. A soft silver gray.
Black: A near-black body with a calm, quiet luster.
OvertonePeacock: Green, blue, and purple blended together. The signature Tahitian overtone.
Aubergine: A deep purple-red. Rich and reserved.
Green: A bright green overtone.
Blue: A cool blue overtone. Refined.
A character, not a rank
A round pearl and a baroque pearl are not higher and lower grades of the same thing — they are different characters. We document the shape. We never rank it.
Round
Symmetrical from every angle. The most familiar silhouette.
Drop
Tapered at one end. Sits naturally as a pendant or a drop earring.
Button
Round on one face, flattened on the other. Rests close to the skin.
Baroque
Irregular, and no two alike. A character, not a compromise.
Keshi
Solid nacre with no bead core, formed by chance. Free-formed and small.
Seed
Very small pearls, set in clusters and along multistrand. Softly irregular.
Recorded, not assumed
Color and shape are two of the six attributes recorded on every Grande LiLith pearl. Read how each one is graded, traced, and held to a single standard.