GIA adds Hanadama Quality Indicator to Certificates

[Hyun-Yoon Yoon]

See the under link.
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-press/...comment-added-to-pearl-classification-reports

 

[CortezPearls]

See the under link.
https://www.gia.edu/gia-news-press/...comment-added-to-pearl-classification-reports

It's a good one!
Good to see GIA adding the Hanadama trade name to the report.

 

[jshepherd]

This has been a topic of discussion with the board of the CPAA for the past couple of weeks. There are some mixed feelings.

I called a friend of mine at GIA who I assumed was part of this update as she was the one primarily responsible for the recent classification report. We spoke in length about the issues with the Pearl Science Laboratory of Japan and the criteria requirements GIA was putting in place. We're submitting a few strands in Tokyo next week to understand better their criteria since we don't have a master strand set with GIA hanadama.

If their standards are as Akira described, and they are consistent across labs, this could be a great thing. The PSL certificates have so politicized, and the grading standards too loose. I've seen many strands with PSL certs included that wouldn't never passed a decade ago and, in my opinion, are not hanadama, A vendor in Japan told me once they've were able to get TV Grade (akoya sold on TV shopping shows in Japan similar to HSN and QVC) certed. Pearls that are destined for shopping channels aren't usually top grade. It's basically like giving the same certification to a $500 strand of pearls that is typically reserved for a $1000 strand. A big range allows sellers to price-point buy hanadama for the certificate instead of quality-curating - basically defeating the whole purpose of the certificate.

 

[Remarkable Rocks]

This has been a topic of discussion with the board of the CPAA for the past couple of weeks. There are some mixed feelings.

I called a friend of mine at GIA who I assumed was part of this update as she was the one primarily responsible for the recent classification report. We spoke in length about the issues with the Pearl Science Laboratory of Japan and the criteria requirements GIA was putting in place. We're submitting a few strands in Tokyo next week to understand better their criteria since we don't have a master strand set with GIA hanadama.

If their standards are as Akira described, and they are consistent across labs, this could be a great thing. The PSL certificates have so politicized, and the grading standards too loose. I've seen many strands with PSL certs included that wouldn't never passed a decade ago and, in my opinion, are not hanadama, A vendor in Japan told me once they've were able to get TV Grade (akoya sold on TV shopping shows in Japan similar to HSN and QVC) certed. Pearls that are destined for shopping channels aren't usually top grade. It's basically like giving the same certification to a $500 strand of pearls that is typically reserved for a $1000 strand. A big range allows sellers to price-point buy hanadama for the certificate instead of quality-curating - basically defeating the whole purpose of the certificate.

This is a very good point. Until there is a standard that is established by uniform master sets, then we will see abuse of the descriptor and risk undermining confidence in the term and ultimately, the market. The gemstone world has seen the abuse of terms by laboratories and vendors to the point where they become hollow. Examples would be "pigeon blood" and "Paraiba", even "emerald" for what is essentially green beryl.

 

[jshepherd]

While Hisano and I were in Hong Kong we met with Tom Moses from GIA New York and Tom Takada from GIA Tokyo. They described the process they went through to create master grading sets to include hanadama. It was very reassuring given the variation of range we've seen with certed hanadama coming out of Japan.

We met with our main akoya supplier in Japan who agreed to put some strands together that would meet GIA's criteria. We submitted strands and pairs to both the New York and Tokyo lab. One piece didn't pass (interestingly it had already passed PSL certification), and all the others passed with highest marks or secondary marks for surface. GIA allows surface leniency with their hanadama certificates.

This is what they look like.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I'm curious about what is on the certificate pictured above. I see "excellent" luster, "clean" surface, "excellent" matching-- but only "acceptable" nacre.
Does this refer to nacre thickness? Is "acceptable" 0.4mm, which is what I have previously read is the minimum thickness for hanadama certification, or does GIA use another number?
What would "excellent" nacre be, and would it tend to be more durable, or have greater iridescence?

I'm thinking of terms I've read elsewhere-- ten-nyo and aurora. How do these fit in to hanadama certification (if they do)?

 

[Katbran]

I thought it was great that the GIA is offering certificates and it's nice to know that they are at the same or higher standard that the PSL .
I know what you mean Pearl Dreams about the various classifications Aurora etc... it seems like every time I look at IG there's yet another certificate name that I've not run across before .
And while on Akoya ... suddenly I'm seeing Akoya in huge sizes .. like 10-11-12mm ! I asked one supplier what the nacre thickness was on the 10.5-11mm round strands and he said he thought they were 1mm ... ??? But he wasn't sure.

 

[eletons]

I'm curious about what is on the certificate pictured above. I see "excellent" luster, "clean" surface, "excellent" matching-- but only "acceptable" nacre.
Does this refer to nacre thickness? Is "acceptable" 0.4mm, which is what I have previously read is the minimum thickness for hanadama certification, or does GIA use another number?
What would "excellent" nacre be, and would it tend to be more durable, or have greater iridescence?

I'm thinking of terms I've read elsewhere-- ten-nyo and aurora. How do these fit in to hanadama certification (if they do)?

Those terms such as Ten-nyo and aurora were coined by the founder of PSL in 2001. All Ten-nyo strands have met aurora standard but not all aurora strands can become a Ten-nyo strand. For wholesalers or retailers to obtain a Ten-nyo certificate from PSL, the strands need to have at least 0.4mm nacre thickness and show 3 interference colours and have less imperfections in the skin plus size reaches at least 6mm. Therefore, first, PSL needs to decide it's a aurora strand before going to the next step to check if it can become a Ten-nyo strand. PSL also charges double fee for a Ten-nyo certificate.

If budget is not an issue, a Ten-nyo strand is better than an aurora strand because Ten-nyo has stronger lustre.

Looking at the GIA certificate, I feel that PSL has clearer indications since PSL specialised in pearls and GIA seems to be specialised in diamonds.

 

[eletons]

I thought it was great that the GIA is offering certificates and it's nice to know that they are at the same or higher standard that the PSL .
I know what you mean Pearl Dreams about the various classifications Aurora etc... it seems like every time I look at IG there's yet another certificate name that I've not run across before .
And while on Akoya ... suddenly I'm seeing Akoya in huge sizes .. like 10-11-12mm ! I asked one supplier what the nacre thickness was on the 10.5-11mm round strands and he said he thought they were 1mm ... ??? But he wasn't sure.

The biggest akoya size is 10mm, no more than that. I saw a 9.5 mm AAA in mikimoto store in the beginning of this year and asking price was very high. I don't think there's akoya more than 10 mm unless you are talking about a pearl in mikimoto island. (Even that one might not be an akoya pearl)

PSL always indicates nacre thickness of each strand because nacre thickness can only be checked by high tech machine.

If in doubt, better purchase strands with certificates.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

@Katbran, I thought akoya oysters could not tolerate beads in the sizes that would produce such large pearls. Do you think they are actually akoyas, or just high luster bead nucleated FWP?

 

[jshepherd]

@Katbran, I thought akoya oysters could not tolerate beads in the sizes that would produce such large pearls. Do you think they are actually akoyas, or just high luster bead nucleated FWP?

It takes a large gonad to accept a bead that size. Some can but most can't. The strands are akoya though - definitely not freshwater. Any dealer would recognize a freshwater immediately.

It's never been that difficult (in the past) to find akoya strands larger than 10 mm, but it's always been difficult to find them in fine quality because there isn't a lot of production in this size. The average largest half-millimeter graded is 9.5-10 mm, and akoyas larger than 10 mm are usually measured in exact increments similar to Tahitians. For example, a strand might measure 10-10.7 mm or 10.5-11.2 mm. The fine strands are always individually priced and prices jump significantly above 10 mm. The largest strand I've seen is taisho-ren (the Mikimoto Boss strand) that goes up to 14 mm - still akoya.

Ten-nyo strands are (supposed to be) cherry-picked hanadama that score in the 90% on iridescence and luster. Grading is subjective though, even at PSL, and the labs are intentionally vague with the standards. A strand might fail and be resubmitted and then pass. Unfortunately, the company that submits the strands also plays a part in the certification. In my experience, larger processors can quickly and easily certify pearls that would otherwise sit for months if submitted by a smaller operation. It feels political.

This is one of the main reasons I welcome GIA's entry into the market. They use a master set and there are no politics at play. The pearls pass GIA's standards or they don't. They are exact with their measurements and examinations. The cert matches the pearls to within 1/100th of a millimeter. PSL is an approximate, which is why pairs never quite match the cert.

GIA doesn't assign a nacre thickness because it's impossible to be accurate. If one has a strand of akoya, the nacre thickness might range from .4 mm to 1 mm+. Every strand is a mix of thickness and even pairs would rarely be identical. Pearls are matched by color, luster and size - not nacre thickness. You can have tonen-mono (one season) mixed with koshimono (two season) if the pearls match. The koshimono would be an average of double tonen.

GIA's acceptable grade means the nacre is adequately thick so the pearls will last. It's the thickness of nacre that should hold the beauty of the pearl.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Fascinating! Thank you for the explanation.

 

[jeg]

Hisano was right- Jeremy is the walking Google of pearls!

 

[CortezPearls]

Fascinating! Thank you for the explanation.

I agree: Fascinating!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I suggest we make this thread a stickie so it's easy to find, since more pearls will undoubtedly be GIA certified going forward.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I received an exciting surprise gift from Jeremy and Hisano yesterday!

I love how the pink overtone looks with my skin tone.
The luster is gorgeous!

Edited to add: these are natural light photos taken in my living room, near an open door, on a sunny day.

 

[jeg]

Well, that’s very exciting!!! I love them!

 

[CortezPearls]

I am adding Jeremy's/Pearl Paradise's recent video about Hanadama Akoya pearls to enrich this thread!