Surface

For reasons best understood by psychologists, pearl dealers talk about the degree to which a pearl's skin is free of blemish as "spotting", a very negative term for a very common pearl feature.

Tahiti cultured pearl farmers generally use four ratings for surface quality: A, B, C and D. Pearl dealers prefer the neutral term "surface" as a way of discussing--or even rating--the presence or absence of imperfections in pearls. In this regard, it is the pearl word equivalent of "clarity".