Pearl Education

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Mabe: Originally, the Japanese trade term for an assembled blister pearl grown in Pteria penguin. In Japanese, that mollusk's name is mabe-gai, hence the pearl's name. Today, the word is used to describe any assembled blister pearl.

Maeshori: Originally in Japan, a deep-cleaning process used before bleaching
Akoya cultured pearls. Today, "maeshori" (literally, "before treatment") retains...

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Nabatee: Arabian term for sugar used to describe pearls from the Persian Gulf that had a slightly off-white, yellowish color.

Nacre: Aragonite and calcite platelets bound together by conchiolin that completely compose bivalve and abalone natural pearls, Keshi, tissue-cultured freshwater pearls, and the coating on the nucleus of bead-cultured and bead-and-tissue-cultured pearls.

Nacreous...

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Occidental pearls: Historical term used to describe natural pearls from Mexico, dates to the 16th century but fell from usage after 1930.

Oil pearls: Imitation pearls worked from the columella (see) of the Trochus and Turbo snails.

Oiling: Process of soaking a natural or cultured pearl in warm oil to diminish the visibility of cracks.

Opera necklace: Pearl necklace measuring 28 to 35...

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

PAPPE: Philippine Association of Pearl Producers and Exporters.

Paraffin: A wax often used to fill the cavity of cultured and imitation blister pearls.

Parasite theory: Natural pearl growth theory suggesting that parasitic invasion of a mollusk's shell, typically by a boring worm, catalyzes natural pearl production. Postulated in the mid-19th century, it was the first theory that...

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Quadrula metanerva: Natural pearl producing freshwater mollusk found in the United States, otherwise known as the monkeyface or knobbed rock shell.

Quadrula nodulata: Natural pearl producing freshwater mollusk found in the United States, otherwise known as the wartyback, two-horned pocketbook, pimpleback, winged pimpleback, nodule and winged orb shell.

Quadrula pustulosa: Natural pearl...

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

radial structure: Calcite or aragonite crystals of a pearl's prismatic layer are arranged in a pattern, so they radiate like rays of sunlight from a central core. In a cross-section view, the crystals stand on end rather than lie flat as in the nacre layer.

rainbow pearl: From Pteria sterna but may exhibit colors similar to those of pearls from the black-lip mollusk (Pinctada...