P-G News

Not everyone has a gemological microscope to have a closer look at the drill hole of a pearl to see if it says anything about its validity. That is why it's a great idea to own a 10 power loupe so you can magnify pearls in low tech.

Here is a typical artificial pearl under a microscope. Without magnification, it looks pretty good, but zoom in and you can see that the smooth surface is disrupted near the drill hole.



A real pearl has structure to the nacre that causes it to fracture under...

Here is a lovely Yvel necklace with brushed gold beads among the meltingly lovely nacre.



You can visit Yvel at https://www.yvel.com

Blaire Beavers
Managing Editor
Pearl Guide News

Etienne and I had a lot of fun staging his pearls with a ceramic spoon and fork. The clean look of ceramic, with the glistening surface of a South Sea cultured button pearl, makes a stunning version of the classic black and white combination.



See more:
www.etienneperret.com
www.ceramicjewelry.com
And on Facebook

Blaire Beavers
Managing Editor
Pearl Guide News

Hanadama cultured akoya pearls are the finest akoya pearls. They have the highest ratings for luster, shape and surface qualities and meet the minimum nacre thickness of 0.4 mm, but often much higher. Hanadama, from the Japanese, roughly translates to Spherical Flower. So romantic.

These are "natural white" hanadama pearls, meaning that they have not undergone color treatment. Most akoya pearls are "pinked", a process of pink tinting to bring out the rose overtones.


In mixed daylight...

There were many beautiful pearls at the September Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair, but these blue South Sea pearls stood out and were seen at more than one booth. Many of these pearls displayed a distinctive banding and were bathed in orient.



Blaire Beavers
Managing Editor
Pearl Guide News

There were many special pearls in the September Hong Kong show, but these remarkable metallic freshwater cultured pearls were at the top of my list. It would be fun to see the blue, green and rose overtones separated and matched.


First photo with white background and strange show lighting that caused visible banding.


Second photo with gray background and carried out to the vendor's own lighting. No banding, but each type of light brings out different aspects of the pearls. In person...