BE. Crystal 4T™ Grading: Transparency, Tone, Texture & Treasure

How BE. reads Transparency, Tone, Texture and Treasure, and how those readings determine Studio, Signature and Heritage.

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By BE. · 5 MIN

In this field note
In one paragraph BE.’s 4T grading system rates every strand stone against four material axes (Transparency, Tone, Texture, Treasure), each scored from 1 to 5. The lowest of the three material scores decides the composite tier: Studio (Transparency, Tone and Texture all at 3 or above), Signature (all three at 4 or above), or Heritage (all three at 5, with Treasure also at 5). Any stone scoring 2 or lower on Transparency, Tone or Texture is rejected before production. Dyed, heated, post-irradiated, chemically enhanced, or undocumented stones do not enter the system at all. This page is a working summary; the full method lives on the 4T grading system page.
Be BE. Crystal 4T™ Grading System
Four axes scored 1–5; the lowest of the three material readings decides the tier, and Heritage also requires Treasure at 5.
BE.
Clear Quartz Strand Bracelet
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What 4T is

BE. Crystal 4T™ is BE.’s internal material grading framework for its strand selections. It uses four axes: Transparency, Tone, Texture and Treasure, each scored from 1 to 5. The lowest of Transparency, Tone and Texture determines the tier, with Treasure as the additional condition for Heritage. The tiers are Studio, Signature and Heritage.

  • Four axes: Transparency, Tone, Texture and Treasure.
  • Internal readings use a 1 to 5 scale. Public material readings use Standard, Strong and Exceptional.
  • Studio, Signature and Heritage follow the lowest of the three material readings; Heritage also requires Exceptional Treasure.
  • A material reading of 2 or below falls outside the range.

The four axes: material questions, not marketing labels

Transparency

Transparency describes light passing through a stone, read against BE.’s reference for that material. A transparent quartz and a translucent prehnite present different appearances. BE. assesses Transparency with the unaided eye at about 40 cm, over a white reference card under 5500 K daylight-balanced light.

Tone

Tone covers colour saturation, hue position, and uniformity within and across beads. A high-tone strand reads as a single coherent colour at arm’s length; a low-tone strand shows visible gaps in saturation or hue between adjacent beads. Tone is the axis most affected by sorting work. Two strands cut from the same rough can score very differently on Tone depending on how rigorously beads were matched before stringing.

Texture

Texture covers polish, drill-hole condition, roundness and diameter consistency. BE. examines these under 10× magnification and confirms the reading with the unaided eye. Natural inclusions are considered through the material’s Transparency and Tone references.

Treasure

Treasure is the axis most often misread. It is not a measure of price or perceived value. It measures how difficult the material is to obtain at this quality, in this bead size and this colour: how many sources can supply it, how much of each parcel reaches the standard, and whether a sold-out lot can be replaced. Source and treatment are recorded separately on the Stone Origin Record.

How the four readings combine into a tier

The lowest of the three material scores determines the tier. With Transparency and Tone at 5 and Texture at 3, a strand is Studio, even when Treasure is 5. With all three material scores at 5 and Treasure at 4, it is Signature. Heritage requires all four scores at 5.

Tier Rule
Studio The lowest of Transparency, Tone and Texture reads Standard (3).
Signature The lowest material reading is Strong (4), or all three are Exceptional (5) and Treasure is below Exceptional.
Heritage Transparency, Tone, Texture and Treasure all read Exceptional (5).
Outside the range Transparency, Tone or Texture is 2 or below.

What 4T rejects

Before a stone is scored, it has to pass an entry filter. The following conditions remove material from the 4T system entirely, before any score is given.

  • Material must meet BE.’s untreated entry standard, including no heat treatment, artificial irradiation, dye, coating or filling.
  • Source information must identify at least the country, supported by the lot’s records.
  • Material that does not meet these entry requirements stays outside the 4T selection process.

How to read the record with your piece

The Clear Quartz Strand Bracelet shows how the rule works. Record BE-CLQ-10-0421, lot 2026.02, lists Exceptional for Transparency, Tone and Texture, with Strong for Treasure. Its tier is Signature. The same record lists Brazil and an untreated status in separate fields. When reading your piece, compare the lot and record identifier with its product information.

  • The card in the box: the printed Lot ID and 4T row.
  • The product page: the published tier and source information for the model.

Read the lot identifier and the product information together. The record documents the material selection; the product page also describes the finished size and construction.

What 4T does not try to be

BE. Crystal 4T™ is BE.’s material selection and grading framework. It describes the brand’s readings and tier rules for its strands. A gem laboratory report has a different purpose: it records the identification and testing of the submitted material within the laboratory’s stated scope. Gem laboratories can also examine beads.

Read the full method

This page is a working summary, written so the system can be understood in a single read. The full 4T method goes further: it sets out each axis in detail, the observation conditions, and how the four readings combine. Anyone considering a BE. strand, or wanting to read BE.’s grading work against an independent standard, should read the method end to end. It is the source document; this article is the index.

THE FULL METHOD
The 4T grading system: axes, observation conditions and tier rules
READ THE METHOD

Related reading

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What do the four T’s stand for?

Transparency, Tone, Texture, and Treasure. Each is scored from 1 to 5 against BE.'s reference for the material. Together they decide the composite tier.

Q2. Why is the weakest score the one that decides the tier?

The lowest of Transparency, Tone and Texture sets the tier. This keeps a stronger reading from compensating for a lower one. Heritage also requires Exceptional Treasure.

Q3. Is Treasure a price grade?

No. Treasure measures how difficult the material is to obtain at this quality, in this bead size and this colour. It is not retail value and it is not a source record; source is recorded separately on the Stone Origin Record.

Q4. What happens to a stone that scores a 2?

A score of 2 or below in Transparency, Tone or Texture excludes the material from BE.’s range. Treasure is considered separately as the additional requirement for Heritage.

Q5. Is 4T equivalent to a GIA report?

BE. Crystal 4T™ records BE.’s grading criteria and readings. A GIA report records the identification and testing carried out on submitted material within the service requested. The grade on a BE. record and the findings of an independent laboratory report should each be read for their stated purpose.

Q6. Where is the full method?

On the 4T grading system page. The page sets out each axis, the observation conditions, and the tier rules. This article summarises the system; that page documents it.

References