The seventh of the CIBJO commissions' Special Reports, namely the Pearl Commission Special Report has been released. The CIBJO Pearl Commission is headed by Kenneth Scarratt. The report considers the subject of a unified pearl grading system, which currently is being worked upon within CIBJO and which will be on the agenda of the Pearl Commission, when it meets at the congress on May 20.

The 2014 CIBJO Congress opens in Moscow on May 19, 2014.

"A few pearl grading systems have been developed over the years, both as educational tools and for laboratory reporting," writes Mr. Scarratt. "Experience has shown that a universal grading system that covers nacreous pearls from all molluscs is a challenging task, as are the interpretation of the results."

The Pearl Commission Special Report also includes subject related to the separation of natural seed pearls from small non-bead cultured pearls in the Arabian Gulf market, efforts undertaken to obtain natural pearls for scientific and gemmological research, the state of the Australian South Sea cultured pearl industry, recent developments affecting the pearl sector of French Polynesia, and the CIBJO Pearl Blue Book.