North Pearl is a jewelry store featuring pearls, and is located in the Village across from the changing rooms.

Each pearl is unique so there are six measures of quality applied to each one to arrive at a valuation. Only 3-5% of pearls produced are considered to be top quality - the Japanese call these 'Hanadama' pearls. The measures are:

• Thickness of nacre - there should be no dull patches showing.
• Lustre or orient - light refracts and reflects from a superb pearl, which will appear almost luminescent.
• Colour - different cultures value different colours. Far Eastern cultures prefer a yellow-cream or gold, whilst Europeans
  tend to buy rosy or white pearls. Black pearls are steadily gaining in popularity.

• Shape - the nearer to a perfect sphere, the better.
• Surface blemishes - most pearls have a 'birth mark' or small imperfection, the smaller or fewer the better.
• Size - the larger the pearl, the more valuable it is. Jewellers tend to work with pearls exceeding 8mm, and black pearls may be even bigger.

Thankfully, value is ultimately in the eye of the beholder!