eBay Pearl Guide - The Natural Pearl Society

The purpose of this little compendium is to have you
spend your money well.
A bit of knowledge leading to questioning that
requires accurate answers are the essence of this
“Buyer’s” manual.
The fun is always in the discovery, the
accomplishment is in a well chosen acquisition.
Along the way there are some basic facts to allow the
deciphering of a language that is designed to create
clarity in the pearl world, however, when misused either
with intention or by mistake, money will be poorly
spent .
Natural “American River pearls, circa 1955
PEARL BUYER’S GUIDE
CULTURED, NATURAL, WILD & SIMULATED.
DESIGNED TO NAVIGATE PEARL SELLERS
ADVERTISING STRATEGIES AND LANGUAGE.
Photograph by Sylvia Bissonnette
Copyright 2010
1.
Know what you’re buying....
The terminology used to describe pearls is very
specific in science , however, there many ways to
use language in advertising that could be quite
deceptive.
Let’s start with some basic
definitions;
Natural.....by law, this term, unless followed or preceded by the
word “Cultured”, defines a pearl created by nature without the
intervention of man.
Wild....A modifier, enhancing
the word “Natural” ,to assist in
clarifying the pearl described as coming solely from a naturally
occurring (random) growth of a pearl unassisted by human ,
mechanical or artificial nucleation.
2.
CULTURED.....ANY pearl that has been grown via the
insertion of an artificial, natural, or synthetic “nucleus” to start the
pearl forming process
NUCLEUS......Any object inserted into the pearl producing
mollusk that starts the formation of the pearl, Mabe’ pearl or Keishi
pearl. These have historically been organic(crab claws for example)
sand or any object that irritates the mollusk and causes it to create
the protective layer (Nacre)
NACRE.....The outside surface of the pearl that gives the
“iridescent, pearlescent, and reflective” effect that distinguishes a
“PEARL”
SIMULATED....
Created my a man made manufacturing
process using materials that, in some manner, replicate the effects
of a true pearl. “Majorca” is a trademarked term describing a very
high grade of this process. This group is commonly categorized as
“Costume “ jewelry
3.
Nacre:
Nucleus and Nacre
Aragonite and calcite platelets bound together
by conchiolin that completely compose bivalve and abalone
natural pearls, keishi, tissue-cultured freshwater pearls, and the
coating on the nucleus of bead-cultured and bead-and-tissuecultured pearls.
Science
Think of tree rings, the more there are , the older and larger the pearl
will be. This indicates time in the water, depth of the translucent
effects of the nacreous layers. More is better ! X-ray technology in
the gemological reports document nucleated or non nucleated pearls.
Nucleus:
Bead implanted in a host mollusk,
most often with a tissue piece, to become the core of a
cultured pearl.
Science
Either naturally or artificially nucleated, the smaller the nucleus
the better. There is current Chinese technology that uses tissue
only to nucleate. The locale of discovery is critical to
distinguishing “Wild” pearls
Nacre
nucleus
Typical South sea pearl
Nacre
nucleus
Typical Chinese Akoya-style pearl
4.
The Mysterious terms;
Luster;
Quantity and quality of light reflected from the surface or just
under the surface of a natural or cultured pearl.
Orient;
Optical phenomenon that produces iridescent colors on the surface of some natural
and cultured pearls.
Surface;
One of the quality factors considered when
grading a natural or cultured pearl.
A fine example of Luster, Orient and Surface on a Natural “Wild” pearl
Wild pearl from the Stern collection
Wild pearls from the Stern collection
5.
Type to enter text
Color...Pearls come in a full spectrum of colors. White, the
obvious, becomes modified to cremes, yellows, pinks, blacks and
many more. The term “Black” actually describes the general local of
Tahiti and it’s surrounding waters, these are generally darker in tone
(though whites, at times, are found). Philippine “Golds “ are quite
popular and the perennial classics are the Whites from the north
coast of Australia and southern Burma ( Miramar). These three are
now common because the large mollusks of these areas have a
natural tendency to produce these bold colors and the culturing
industry has become quite successful at nucleating and
reproducing these pearls. These are generically called “South Sea
Pearls”,and lean to the more expensive spectrum of the cultured
pearl market.
Then there is the issue of color alteration and dying.............
6.
Dying, Irradiating and Color
Enhancements........Every day some new
form of enhancement comes to light. Intense colors are
generally a warning sign. Pink has been common as an
enhancement color for almost one hundred years, Blackish
hues (other than Tahitian), Brown and copper Tahitian pearls
are commonly color altered. Bleaching is a very common
process for smaller Akoya pearls. With out the deep science
being addressed here the watch word is “Natural”. This word
needs to cause several immediate questions to pose to the
seller;
1. “Natural color?
2. Naturally grown (as opposed to cultured)?
3. Documentation ?
4. Source of the pearls (country of origin)
5. Genuine or artificial (pearl or costume
A Natural Pink pearl
(left)
A cultured Philippine
pearl, natural color
(right)
7.
The Methods and Language of
measuring pearls in our
contemporary world
Millimeters...
The most common measurement used in the western pearl world.
There are 25.5 millimeters (MM) to an inch.
Generally pearl strands will start around 6 mm ( check here, many
are 5.5 mm!) and will go to approximately 8 mm. This group falls into
the “moderately sized category and are the most common size
range available. The next group generally includes “South Sea
Pearls” and will range from 9 mm. (smallish) to 18 mm plus.
the most common being in the 10 to 13 mm size range. There are
readily available measuring devices from hobby supply stores,
Grams...
stationary stores and jewelry supply houses.
There are 31.5 grams to an ounce. This measurements are
generally used for larger single pearls in conjunction with height
Carats....
and width measurements in millimeters.
A very old (and enduring) unit of measurement commonly used in
weighing all gems, often used for fine, Natural pearls.
Based on the weight of a carob seed
8.
The Pearl, it’s Mollusk and Locale
Tahitian “Black” Pearls
From the waters surrounding
French Polynesia
Mollusk species: Pinctada
margaritifera cumingi
Philippine “Golden” Pearls
From the waters of the Philippine Isles and
the Sulu Sea.
Mollusk species; Pinctada maxima
South Sea “White” pearls
From the waters South Seas ,an area centered
around Northern Australia and
South-East Asia including Myanmar and
Indonesia.
Mollusk species:Pinctada maxima oyster
(also called the silver lip or gold lip oyster)
Akoya Pearls
Cultured Akoya Pearl
Mollusk Species: Pinctada fucata
Locale; China, Japan, and Vietnam. The
best quality akoya cultured pearls are
Hanadama Grade. These pearls are the top
2 percent of all Japanese pearls, each
comes with a certificate from the Japan Pearl
Science Laboratory.
Type to enter text
9.
The Pearl, it’s Mollusk and Locale
Melo Melo
From the waters of; South east Asia,
Burma, Thailand , Malaysia. South
China Sea and the Philippines
Family; Volutadie / Gastropod
Conch
The waters of the Caribbean
Shell species: Eustrombus gigus
Giant Clam
Found primarily in the Philippines and Sulu
Sea
Mollusk species; Tridacna Gigas
Nautilus
Found exclusively in the Indo-Pacific waters
Family ; Cephalopod
Species; Nautilus pompilius
(Argonate)
10.
The language of length;
How pearl strands are measured
Pearl “Collar”
25 to 33 centimeters (10 to 13 inches in length)
Pearl “Choker”
35 to 41 centimeters (14 to 16 inches in length)
“Princes Length”
43 to 48 centimeters (17 to 19 inches in length)
“Matinee Length”
50 to 60 centimeters (20 to 24 inches in length)
“Opera Length”
70 to 90 centimeters (28 to 35 inches in length)
“Pearl Rope”
In excess of 115 centimeters (45 inches in length
11.
Basic questions to ask a pearl seller;
1. Is it Cultured?
2. Is it natural (from the “Wild”)?
3. Is it dyed or bleached?
4. Has it been filled or altered?
5. Is it drilled? (if loose)
6. Is there any documentation, report or
certification?
a. G.I.A. ?
b. Swiss Lab ?
c. Other ?
7. Is it Genuine, Simulated or Costume?
8. Does the seller guarantee their merchandise to be
as described ?
9. Is the shape round, oval, baroque, keishi (other)?
10. Would the seller consider their pearl an A, B or C
grade? ( AAA = finest/no blemishes, AA= Fine possible light
blemishing, A = Very light apparent blemishing, B + C = moderate to
heavy blemishing
12.
Basic questions to ask a pearl seller;
11. If you are buying a strand;
a. Is It Knotted
b. Are there “Bullion” ends on the clasp?
c. Are the sizes matched, graduated ?
12. What is the clasp made of (karat gold, Platinum
Silver,other?)
13. What is the country of manufacturing origin?
14. Ask for a clear color description, are they
“White” is there any Cream or other color
modifying overtones?
15. If you’re buying color (Golds for instance) Are
they ALL non-dyed or are there dyed filler pearls
to complete the strand?
16. If your buying “Chocolate” are they guaranteed
against fading (forever!)?
13.
Common Pearl Shapes
South Sea Drop
Round
Drop
Oval
Tahitian Round
Button
Baroque
conch/ Caribbean
Abalone
New Zealand
Philippines
Keishi
American River, Button
Cook Islands
14.
The purpose of this publication is to inform the
novice buyer and potential collector of the basic
language of “Pearls”. The terms used here are used
throughout the pearl industry. Again this is strictly
for educational enrichment. It will allow you to pose
questions , as a buyer, in the internet world as well
as local gem shows and retail venues. American
buyers account for about ten percent of the world
wide pearl market yet are generally poorly informed
in the general terminology used in the international
pearl world. This book will enlighten you to a more
worldly view of a beautiful gemstone, one of the
rarest when found “Wild” in nature as well as one of
the most copied items in the fashion and costume
jewelry producing industry. Please continue the
research, ask questions before you buy, get
tracking numbers on any purchase sent through the
mail.
This publication and all it’s contents are copyrighted by
J.Grahl, President of Societe’ des Perles Fines, 2010.