21.25 Carat (23.61 Ratti) White South Sea Pearl – 15.2mm Round, AAA Quality

A single white South Sea pearl, weighing 21.25 carats (23.61 ratti) and measuring 15.2mm across. The pearl is fully round, which is the shape South Sea pearls are hardest to produce and the one most people want for a ring or a single-pearl pendant.

Pearl Information

Type of pearl = White South Sea (saltwater)
Colour = White, natural and untreated
Shape = Round
Size = 15.2mm
Weight = 21.25 carats (23.61 ratti / 4.25 grams)
Quality grade = AAA
Drilling = Undrilled
Product code = LP-SSWH-152-RO-AAA-0065

About White South Sea Pearls

White South Sea pearls grow in the silver-lipped Pinctada maxima, the largest pearl oyster farmed anywhere. That size is why they reach diameters a freshwater pearl never will, and why the nacre builds thick enough to give a soft, deep glow rather than the hard mirror finish of a smaller Akoya. They take two to four years on the farm, against roughly one for a freshwater pearl.

Natural Colour, Not Treated

The white in this pearl is its own. It came out of the silver-lipped Pinctada maxima this shade, and it has not been dyed or colour-treated at any stage. That is worth knowing, because treating white pearls to even out their colour is routine in the trade and is close to impossible to spot in a photograph. A pearl left alone keeps a little variation across its surface, and it keeps it for life.

Quality Grade

AAA is the top grade we assign to a loose South Sea pearl. It means a clean surface with no blemish visible to the naked eye, a sharp lustre that throws a clear reflection, and an even body colour across the whole pearl.

Loose pearls are priced on their own carat weight and quality grade, which is why no two on this page work out the same. The weight above is the measured figure for this exact pearl.

What This Pearl Suits

At this size the pearl is a collector's piece. Very few South Sea pearls reach it, and almost none do so with a clean surface, so it is best set on its own in a pendant where nothing competes with it. Expect it to be the largest pearl most people who see it have ever handled.

The pearl is supplied undrilled, with no hole of any kind. Your jeweller can half-drill it for a ring post or a pendant cap, or drill it through for stringing. Undrilled is also what most astrologers ask for when a pearl is worn for Moon remedies, since the stone is meant to reach you unpierced.

Weight in Ratti

Buyers who work in ratti rather than carats can read this pearl as 23.61 ratti. We convert at 1 ratti = 0.9 carat, so 21.25 carats divided by 0.9 gives 23.61 ratti. The carat weight is the measured figure and the ratti figure is derived from it.

Please Note

This is a loose pearl sold on its own. It is not set into any jewellery and no metal, chain or cap is included. Only one piece of this exact pearl exists, so once it sells it will not be restocked. Colour, lustre and surface character are natural to the pearl and can look slightly different from the photographs depending on your screen and the light you view it in.