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Cultured Pearls

The term “cultured pearl” denotes a pearl that has been created via a “seeding” process, the seed usually is a round bead that forms the nucleus of the pearl. This bead is inserted into the reproductive organ of the mollusc and it is left in for a period of time to be covered by the naturally occurring nacre of the mollusc, this same material is found in “mother of pearl” meaning the inside of the mollusc shell.

Tahitian Pearls

From the black lip oyster (Pinctada margaritifera-cumingi), generally pearls that are “black” or “silver” in colour, although a large variety of colours are available, and secondary colourations or more are common through most pearls from the region. These pearls are farmed almost exclusively in one of the “blue lagoons” of French Polynesia. Tahitian pearls commonly come in many shapes, such as baroque, circle, semi baroque, oval, teardrop, button, semi round, near round and the most valuable, round.

South Sea Pearls

From the silver lipped pearl of the golden lipped pearl (Pinctada Maxima), generally white to gold in colour. These pearls are farmed in regions of Australia, Myanmar, Indonesia & the Philippines, South Sea pearls can be the largest of all pearls in the world, as they have the largest mollusc and also longest cultivation times, leading to them being highly desirable and also expensive. South sea pearls come in many shapes, such as baroque, circle, semi baroque, oval, teardrop, button, semi round, near round and the most valuable, round.

Akoya Pearls

From the Akoya oyster (Pinctada fucuta martensii), these pearls are farmed primarily in Japan and in China (in China Pinctada chemnitzii), Japan is the only country where Akoya pearls of 8.5mm exist and as such those pearls are unique. Japan took the idea of cultured pearl farming from Australia and applied it to the Akoya molluscl, and since then has led production and processing of Akoya pearls. These pearls are the most difficult to grow due to the low survival rates of the host oysters, of the survivors of nucleation only 40% successfully encircle the seed with nacre, and only 5% of those are considered “high quality”. Akoya pearls come in a range of colours and shapes and are considered to be some of the most desirable pearls in the world.

Freshwater Pearls

From the Biwa pearl mussel (Hypriopsis schlegeli) and triangle shell mussel (Hypriopsis cumingii) and other hybrid species, generally from China. The freshwater pearl is the most affordable pearl and most common, coming in a variety of colours as dying is frequently used to change the pearls from their normal “white” colours to black, blue, red, brown and other colours, the pearls come in different shaped and sizes, such as baroque, circle, semi baroque, oval, teardrop, button, semi round, near round and the most valuable, round.

Keshi Pearls

Freeform pearls that grow either naturally or as a side effect of nucleating pearls, they are usually irregularly shaped and have a high lustre, they come ina variety of colours, although Japanese akoya pearl keshi’s are generally more grey in colour.

Lustre: High luster results at least in part from the amount of nacre deposited to form the pearl, which in turn is a function of how long the pearl has had to develop within the oyster. Pearls with a high luster have more nacre and are generally valued much more highly than pearls with a lower luster or less nacre.

Nacre: The actual structure of the pearl is made from Nacre it is composed of hexagonal platelets made of aragonite (calcium carbonate) 10–20 µm wide and 0.5 µm thick arranged in a continuous parallel lamina. This gives the pearls their unique look among all the gemstones of the world, as the iridescence shown by a pearl cannot be easily mimicked.

Matching: How well matched the pearls are when next to each other in a necklace or bracelet.

When it comes to a diamonds colour, many people think that a "good" colour means that it is brilliantly white - but this is seldom the case. Nature has provided a whole spectrum of colours in the makeup of diamonds, including red, pink, green, blue, and yellow. Acting as a prism, a diamond divides light into a spectrum of colours and reflects this light as colourful flashes called fire. The less colour in a diamond means the more colourful the fire, which results in a better colour grade.

The photo below shows a master set used by gemmologists to grade colour in diamonds. Each diamond to be graded is compared to the master set to determine where it should fall on the diamond colour scale. The colours you see below are slightly exaggerated, since viewing diamonds face down makes their body colour more pronounced. The face down orientation makes the detection of body colour easier because brightness and fire are minimized when the diamond is face down.

Higher value items sold by Grays Online come with a Certificate of Authenticity which lists an Estimated Replacement Valuation which is based on current Australian market forces.

The Certificate of Authenticity means that the actual item for sale has been assessed by a fully qualified specialist jewellery valuer. The specialist jewellery valuer requires knowledge of gemmology, jewellery manufacture, precious metal markets, world gem markets, supply and demand factors both overseas and within Australia, taxation law requirements, general retail practices and the final combination of all the above factors in the principle and procedures of a jewellery valuation. They inspect and assess the jewellery item using a hand lens taking note of several key factors-

• 1.Metal types, hallmark type stamping, confirmation of gold carats by way of gold testing, approximate metal weights and type of manufacture
• 2.Verification of gemstones using gemmological testing equipment to verify stone family and type, gemstone authenticity, measuring for size and calculating approximate stone weights
• 3.Grading of gemstones by cut, colour and clarity of such stones
• 4.Detection of any treatments to the gemstones
• 5.A specified full description of the jewellery article with a clear photo of the individual item.

The Estimated Replacement Value does not represent a retail price or resale value of the item. It is an estimated value of the cost of replacing the item and is the opinion of the registered jewellery valuer based on the criteria detailed above. Variations may occur due to market fluctuations.

Delivery time frames will depend on your location, please check the shipping calculator to see an estimate of when you can typically expect to receive your goods based on your postcode.

We will send you an email notifying you as soon as your items have left our warehouse.

In this email, you will find the name of the courier company and the consignment note number of your item as well as information on tracking the delivery of your item online. Simply follow the link and enter your reference number. You will then be able to quickly and efficiently track the delivery status of your item!

Please Note: Your goods will be delivered to your registered address. We do delivery Australia wide except for a few remote territories, please check the shipping calculator to confirm delivery availability and timeframes.

For information regarding Grays Protect and Administration Fees, please see below:

Grays Protect

We accept the following methods of Payment:

Credit Card

• 1.2% surcharge applies to Mastercard & VISA transactions
• 0.7% surcharge applies to Debit card transactions
• 2.5% surcharge applies to American Express transactions
• No other cards are accepted
• Invoices totalling less than $10,000 will be automatically debited from the card nominated within your account
• Invoices totalling in excess of $10,000 can be paid in-person at any Grays office

PayPal

• 1.2% surcharge applies to PayPal transactions
• Only accepted for invoices totalling less than $10,000 where elected as your preferred payment method within your account

EFT (Direct Deposit)

• For invoices totalling in excess of $10,000. Payment must be made in full within two business days of the auction closing.
• Please ensure to state your invoice number as the payment reference and email proof of the remittance to accountsreceivable@grays.com.au
• As EFT transfers can take up to 2 business days to clear, please contact Grays prior to collecting your purchase to confirm receipt of clear funds

Cash, Bank Cheques and Personal Cheques are not accepted payment methods.

Please see below for further information:

Payments

For invoice payment enquiries only, please email: accountsreceivable@grays.com.au