What exactly is the difference between snow, moon and blossom grades?

I'm so sorry for all the questions. It's just so fascinating!

Here's a good reference page from a retailer.

http://www.kurokigoishi.co.jp/english/q ... ction.html

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The link msgreg posted is an excellent one to show the grain.

imabuddha is also right, cost will also differ

A little more information for you:

Yuki (Snow) grade - These stones are cut from near the base of the clamshell where the grain is finer. The grain will generally be strait. Because it's cut near the base, you can't get more than one, maybe two (if you're lucky) stones from a large shell.

Tsuki (Moon) grade - These stones are cut from the center. They'll still have a nice grain but not as fine as Snow Grade. Furthermore, there will be a slight curve in the grain along the sides of the stone. You'll tend to get 2 - 3 stones from a shell.

Jitsuyo (Standard) grade - These stones are cut at the widest end of the shell so the grain isn't at all fine, but you can get a lot more of them. Where each shell might get one snow grade stone, you can get 4-6 standard grade. The grain on a standard stone might curve like a moon grade, but with most sets I've seen, it'll wrap around the stone in a wide arc.

Hope this helps