As in all things, true beauty comes from within, so the virtue rated above all others in a South Sea pearl is its lustre and shine. Lustre is the result of light reflected from the pearl’s surface combined with its deep inner glow (iridescence).

South Sea pearls are made up of many fine layers of a crystal-like substance called nacre, comprising organic and inorganic materials secreted from within the living tissue of the oyster. The quality and thickness of nacre gives a pearl both its radiance and its deep glow. The combination of light reflecting on the pearl’s surface and light refracting between each layer of nacre within the pearl is what makes this gem unique.

Shine has the magic to minimise other imperfections and is considered the soul of the pearl.