Show Us Your Pearls In Action!!!

2thdktr said:

I guess I'm a little confused-- I thought that Keshi were non- nucleated; accidental pearls as a byproduct of the culturing process. For that pearl to be tissue nucleated, it means it was deliberately cultured?

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The pearl is 100% nacre, non-beaded, as with Freshwater. When these things started appearing 15 years ago or so I guess no one knew what else to call them. But I've been away from pearls for a number of years. The pearl was offered and sold as a keshi with the 'nucleated' qualifier.

Can we get Jeremy to chime in on any updated regulations/terminology for saltwater tissue-nucleated pearls? Wouldn't we all agree that they are better existing than not?

2thdktr said:

I guess I'm a little confused-- I thought that Keshi were non- nucleated; accidental pearls as a byproduct of the culturing process. For that pearl to be tissue nucleated, it means it was deliberately cultured?

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Keshi also refers to saltwater pearls that are without a bead nucleus because the oyster expelled the bead.

When the bead was implanted, a bit of mantle tissue was also implanted-- it is the mantle tissue that forms the pearl sac. If the bead is expelled the sac remains. The pearl farmer may X-ray the oyster, discover there is no bead, and re-implant the oyster with a new bead, but if not, a keshi results.

Here are my Tahitian keshi (I think you saw them when we got together a few years ago):

My wife has a Cook Islands keshi bracelet made from pearls that formed in third-graft pearl sacs from a line lost in a hurricane and discovered eight years later. Those huge sacs completely filled with nacre.

Tissue nucleation (never beaded) became an issue at the time (circa 15+ years ago) as pearls from certain clever Indo-Pacific farmers were showing up at labs for natural certification. The deception was short-lived. But I assume the practice would have informed the trade of a method for reliable commercial keshi production.

That wouldn't take anything away from the beauty of the pearls, or their appeal to those who prefer all-nacre gems.

2thdktr said:

I guess I'm a little confused-- I thought that Keshi were non- nucleated; accidental pearls as a byproduct of the culturing process. For that pearl to be tissue nucleated, it means it was deliberately cultured?

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You are 100% right. That is the case: non-nucleated, but tissue "nucleated" (you need the mantle tissue to create the pearl sac). Usually not deliberately created: the oyster must have spat the bead out, but you can also just tissue nucleate an oyster! I did that many, many times.

CortezPearls said:

you can also just tissue nucleate an oyster! I did that many, many times.

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OK so back to regulations and terminology: Can a tissue-nucleated oyster pearl be called a keshi without qualification? I guess that would be in CIBJO's current definition but I don't have the latest document to reference. When I bought the gold pearl above the natural certification fraud was ongoing, thus the seller was especially diligent about their labelling.

SteveM said:

OK so back to regulations and terminology: Can a tissue-nucleated oyster pearl be called a keshi without qualification? I guess that would be in CIBJO's current definition but I don't have the latest document to reference. When I bought the gold pearl above the natural certification fraud was ongoing, thus the seller was especially diligent about their labelling.

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I don't know how one would differentiate and intentionally cultured "keshi" using tissue vs an accidental one. If intentional, it would be a non-nucleated cultured pearl.

Keshi is a Japanese term that describes small natural pearls or non-beaded cultured pearls that form as a byproduct of the culturing process. The term means poppyseed, and the name intentionally implies the pearls are very small. The term keshi has been adopted by the industry and is now used to describe similar pearls in South Sea and Tahitian.

This is from CIBJO's Blue Book -

5.106 Keshi cultured pearl
A trade term that designates a non-beaded cultured pearl (5.139) formed accidentally or intentionally by human intervention in marine pearl oysters such as the Akoya oyster (Pinctada fucata 9.54), Silver/Gold lipped oyster (9.78) (Pinctada maxima 9.60), the Black lipped oyster (Pinctada margaritifera cumingii 9.58) and Pinctada radiata; it is a by-product of the culturing process. The creation results from the formation of a cultured pearl sac either following injury of the mantle rim upon human handling, from a partial piece of the inserted (grafted) mantle tissue(5.114) or the whole inserted piece (5.163) following the rejection of a bead (5.130).See also South-sea Keshi cultured pearl (5.187), Tahitian Keshi cultured pearl(5.196) and Akoya Keshi cultured pearl (5.7). Alternative name; Lagniappe (or Bonus) cultured pearl.

5.187 South-sea keshi cultured pearl
A trade term for a keshi cultured pearl grown in Pinctada maxima (9.60). A Southsea (5.187) keshi cultured pearl (5.105) or a South-sea non-beaded cultured pearlformed accidentally in Pinctada maxima, it is a by-product of the culturing process.The creation results from the formation of a cultured pearl sac (5.54) either followinginjury of the mantle rim upon handling, or from a partial piece of the inserted(transplanted) mantle tissue (5.114), or the whole inserted piece (5.163) followingthe rejection of a bead (5.18). Some are hollow or contain relatively large amountsof organic matter.

5.196 Tahitian keshi cultured pearl
A trade term for a keshi cultured pearl grown in Pinctada margaritifera cumingii in French Polynesia. The Tahiti keshi cultured pearl (see also 5.105) or Tahiti non-beaded cultured pearl (5.139), is formed accidentally in this pearl oyster in French Polynesia and is a by-product of the culturing process. The creation results from the formation of a cultured pearl sac (5.54) either following injury of the mantle rim upon handling, from a partial piece of the inserted (transplanted) mantle tissue(5.114) or the whole inserted piece (5.163) following the rejection of a bead (5.18).Some Tahiti keshi cultured pearls are hollow or contain relatively large amounts oforganic matter.

CortezPearls said:

You are 100% right. That is the case: non-nucleated, but tissue "nucleated" (you need the mantle tissue to create the pearl sac). Usually not deliberately created: the oyster must have spat the bead out, but you can also just tissue nucleate an oyster! I did that many, many times.

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Was this for the purpose of experimentation? To see what results?

jshepherd said:

This is from CIBJO's Blue Book -

5.106 Keshi cultured pearl
A trade term that designates a non-beaded cultured pearl (5.139) formed accidentally or intentionally by human intervention in marine pearl oysters

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Now I guess it must be asked if 5.106 serves as an umbrella over 5.187 and 5.196, and if so, why the latter definitions would be required.

Pearl Dreams said:

Was this for the purpose of experimentation? To see what results?

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According to my reading of gem lab 'exposés' at the time, clandestine efforts were made to create pearls that would pass natural certification, perhaps adapting techniques perfected in Chinese FW mussels, and in the process quality greatly improved. As a result, keshi supply, consistency and quality appear to have been enhanced.

Ok, so this conversation is whizzing over my head, but I am wearing keshi and I know I love them!!

Golden SS keshi strand from Takahashi, and a rope I knotted with SS keshi from a Hong Kong show.

On my reading of 5.106 that would preclude anybody using the term "freshwater keshi" as it specifically says "marine pearl oysters". Gee that seems to have gone out the window.

Jeg those golden SS keshi are gorgeous - though I am not sure that they qualify as "poppy seeds"!

jeg said:

Ok, so this conversation is whizzing over my head, but I am wearing keshi and I know I love them!!

Golden SS keshi strand from Takahashi, and a rope I knotted with SS keshi from a Hong Kong show.

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It seems we've gone down a rabbit hole, for sure. As Jeremy pointed out, the term 'Keshi' has been convoluted in myriad ways. Primarly what seems apparent is that producers have learned to produce saltwater 'keshi' on demand. And given their superior gem quality, to what extent are white marbles inside our pearls still necessary?

Pella said:

On my reading of 5.106 that would preclude anybody using the term "freshwater keshi" as it specifically says "marine pearl oysters". Gee that seems to have gone out the window.

Jeg those golden SS keshi are gorgeous - though I am not sure that they qualify as "poppy seeds"!

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Your reading is right. Officially the term is restricted to saltwater pearls, which is why we'll sometimes see "keshi-like" used with freshwater pearls. But you're also right that it seems to have gone out the window.

The process can be very similar - a bead is rejected and the sac grows a pearl, or a pearl is harvested and the shell is returned to the water to grow a "keshi" in the existing sac. That happens in both fresh and marine.

I believe the reason for this inconsistency is because there are three pearl industries: natural, bead-cultured saltwater and Chinese freshwater. They are like three different countries with competing priorities who aren't the best of friends.

Pearl Dreams said:

Keshi also refers to saltwater pearls that are without a bead nucleus because the oyster expelled the bead.

When the bead was implanted, a bit of mantle tissue was also implanted-- it is the mantle tissue that forms the pearl sac. If the bead is expelled the sac remains. The pearl farmer may X-ray the oyster, discover there is no bead, and re-implant the oyster with a new bead, but if not, a keshi results.

Here are my Tahitian keshi (I think you saw them when we got together a few years ago):
View attachment 469858

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Yes, I remember these gorgeous nuggets. They are breathtaking. Thanks for the explanation-I understand it better now.

CortezPearls said:

You are 100% right. That is the case: non-nucleated, but tissue "nucleated" (you need the mantle tissue to create the pearl sac). Usually not deliberately created: the oyster must have spat the bead out, but you can also just tissue nucleate an oyster! I did that many, many times.

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Thanks for the explanation. I understand it better now.

Pomelo - I love Keshi studs. They generally lay pretty flat and have all that flattish surface to add presence . The little hills and valleys catch the light beautifully.

jeg - Lovely pearls - those sweet little teeny kasha....glad my fat fingers didn't have to string them !!

BWeaves - Ooooo the lustre ! That pendant just glows... and the feather pearls are gorgeous.

100% little h chested! Grotto ruby pendant and Pointe earrings. I love the asymmetry of the earrings and that they don't exactly match the pendant.

Pearl Dreams said:

Was this for the purpose of experimentation? To see what results?

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Some pearl oysters had very small "pearl sacs" (mind you: a pearl sac is a sac of mantle epithelial cells, but the "area" of the oyster's gonad where the pearl is grown is also called the same way, so this is what I refer to here) and I could not even insert a 6 mm bead/nucleus in it...the oyster is already there, ready to be operated...so: just tissue is inserted.
It was a way to avoid waste and obtain a keshi.

Pella said:

On my reading of 5.106 that would preclude anybody using the term "freshwater keshi" as it specifically says "marine pearl oysters". Gee that seems to have gone out the window.

Jeg those golden SS keshi are gorgeous - though I am not sure that they qualify as "poppy seeds"!

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I would use "Freshi" for freshwater keshi...but of course, this is quite unnecessary.

CortezPearls said:

Some pearl oysters had very small "pearl sacs" (mind you: a pearl sac is a sac of mantle epithelial cells, but the "area" of the oyster's gonad where the pearl is grown is also called the same way, so this is what I refer to here) and I could not even insert a 6 mm bead/nucleus in it...the oyster is already there, ready to be operated...so: just tissue is inserted.
It was a way to avoid waste and obtain a keshi.

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Great background! But this would not apply to the much larger P. Maxima and P. Margaritifera.

Edit: Just to add that this would be another point in favor P. Sterna, that keshi from this species remain truly rare.