A new type of freshwater pearl on the horizon

[Katbran]

Yay ! Weeny ateeny Edisons! Now my question is whether or not the colours will be as intense as the Edison's ..there are some.nice purpley ones in that batch. ..this is very exciting !

 

[jshepherd]

Yay ! Weeny ateeny Edisons! Now my question is whether or not the colours will be as instense as the Edison's ..there are some.nice purpley ones in that batch. ..this is very exciting !

I think we will have to wait until next year to find out!

 

[JerseyPearl]

In the mean time Jeremy, what will you be doing with that stash in the photo? Does Hisano have something special in mind for them (hence the reason they were sawed in half?)

 

[SunSeeker]

This is exciting! I love the tiny pearls & looking forward to intense color!

 

[jshepherd]

In the mean time Jeremy, what will you be doing with that stash in the photo? Does Hisano have something special in mind for them (hence the reason they were sawed in half?)

No plans. They are sawed in half because one must trust but verify! I have heard a lot of stories in Asia.

 

[pattye]

Very cool reveal, Jeremy!

 

[pearlescence]

The ones I had from..maybe a year or so ago..were also Edisons in that they were bead nuked freshwaters from Grace. There were huge sacks of really rubbish strands of white 8mm rounds with terrible nacre - stuffed into every corner of the office. I managed to find maybe a couple of decent strands as a curiosity. But most of them were horrible.
It is important to remember that Grace calls all their bead nucleated pearls Edison. It is not a descriptor of quality.

 

[SunSeeker]

I can't wait to see what next year's harvest will bring!

 

[BWeaves]

As a lover of smaller pearls, I can't wait to see the results.

 

[jshepherd]

As a lover of smaller pearls, I can't wait to see the results.

It will be interesting to see. I am curious how they are growing them too.

I didn't mention this, but earlier in the year last year a production of wax-bead nucleated pearls was sent to me. I imagine they were grown with the same technique because most were small like these.

 

[BWeaves]

What are the implications of a wax bead nucleus? Is it designed to be melted out and leave a hollow center like the soufflé's?

 

[jshepherd]

I really don't know. I asked a similar question. The response was that it was just another experiment.

These are wax nucleated pearls. The sliced ones at the bottom show how small the wax bead is. The pearls are all in the 5 mm range.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Wow interesting! Some of those small ones appear to be very dark in color.

 

[Katbran]

Hmmm ... Wax... They would be much easier to drill - save on the drill bits lol Interesting colours in those little wax ones. More what we associate with the nicer Edisons.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Hmmm ... Wax... They would be much easier to drill - save on the drill bits lol Interesting colours in those little wax ones. More what we associate with the nicer Edisons.

I was thinking that very same thing! I use carbon drill bits on my Tahitians, and even then some are really tough little buggers. I did recently use my dremel to enlarge a drill hole to 2.3mm for a prototype piece and I will never be brave enough to do that again. I'm just going to have to buy bigger drill bits for this project. Which brings me back around to the point, how tough are these tiny pearls to drill and what size bit would you use on a 3-4mm pearl?

 

[BWeaves]

Yes, I was wondering about drilling, and what it would be like to string them. The beading thread would become self lubricating as you strung the necklace.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Yes, I was wondering about drilling, and what it would be like to string them. The beading thread would become self lubricating as you strung the necklace.

Or kind of gunky if it gets clumped up with pearl dust.

 

[BWeaves]

That, too! I was being facetious. I think I need a sarcasm font.

 

[Red]

Yes, I was wondering about drilling, and what it would be like to string them. The beading thread would become self lubricating as you strung the necklace.

Ha, ha! "self lubricating". I thought it was funny.

 

[SunSeeker]

haha, made me laugh too! And also thinking it might be a bugger to knot. What is the benefit of using the wax bead nucleus? Jeremy, I'm loving the rich colors and sharp luster on these little beauties!