Pearls are beautiful in their simplicity, and look great with any outfit. But, buying pearls is not always very simple. If you want to get a good deal on your pearls and make sure you are buying quality, you need to keep the following 5 things in mind while shopping:

Surface quality: A high quality pearl will have the majority of its surface completely smooth with no pits, cracks, dull spots or protrusions. The vast majority of pearls do have these surface imperfections and the amount of them is one of the most influential factors in determining value.

Shine and Iridescence: The best pearls reflect light so strongly that they almost look metallic. This is referred to as “luster”. A dull pearl with poor luster is worth a fraction of a similar pearl with high luster. Another characteristic of pearl that will add to its beauty and value are the iridescent pearly colors that are present. This is called its “orientation”.

Size: Size is the next most important factor in determining the value of a pearl. Pearls range in size generally from about 2 mm to 20 mm. Pearls above 8 mm are considered large and are most commonly found among Tahitian Pearls and South Sea Pearls. A pearl over 8 mm wide is exponentially more valuable than a pearl of 5 mm of similar quality because of the additional years and resources that are required for their cultivation.

Shape: Pearls come in a variety of shapes. The most valuable shapes are round and near round. Perfectly round pearls are rare to find and are thus the most expensive. Pearls also come in tear drops, domes, buttons, circled (with rings around the pearl) and freeform shapes known as “baroque”. The more freeform shapes are usually the least valuable, however can make interesting jewelry when used creatively in a design.

Type: Pearls are classified according to their origins. Basically, there are 3 types of pearls: cultured saltwater pearls, cultured freshwater pearls and natural pearls. Natural pearls are so rare, even most jewelers never see one. Freshwater pearls come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, but are generally less expensive than saltwater pearls.

Women are very fond of jewelry, but men are not lagging too far behind. Looking at the growing interest of all the males, the market is flooded with all types of jewelry meant for men and women. Gone are the days when the body was covered only with clothing. Now it is considered very important to enhance your body with jewelry. Not that jewelry is used just to decorate your body; it can also be used to enhance certain parts of your body. Body jewelry is meant for various parts of the body like nose, eyebrow, ear lobes, naval etc. Everyone wishes to make his or her own fashion statement.

Nose jewelry usually comes in the classic captive circular barbell or as a nose screw. Well the nose screw can be jeweled or plain, and this depends on your choice. Similar to nose jewelry the eyebrow jewelry also includes the small captive barbell. You can actually enhance your eyebrow by wearing a sparkling, dangling captive barbell. The eyebrow jewelry is normally designed in a curved or straight fashion, adding a charm to your eyebrows, dangling from the top.

The naval jewelry is an upcoming attraction amongst the youth. It is becoming a unique fashion statement. Nipple jewelry usually includes the nipple barbells and the nipple shields. You get a variety of designs in body jewelry. There were times where fashion statements were made by the punk rockers and those having the ”bad boy” image. But the picture seems to be totally different today, as most of the youth follow these fashion statements more religiously. Usually the pop celebrities endorse the body jewelry. Often, the celebrities play role models and influence the youth to follow the fashion trends.

However, you need to ensure few things before you select any kind of jewelry. First check if the material of the body jewelry suits your skin so that you prevent skin from getting damaged. Also if you planning nose or eyebrow piercing ensure that it is done in a sterile and antiseptic environment. Well if you are thinking that your budget is less and you are avoiding buying the jewelry just for this reason, then do not. There is a huge variety available in the market starting from the lowest pricing up, to suit every budget. Also you can get numerous designs, patterns, colors and textures in these types of jewelry items.