A new type of pearl!

[pearlescence]

As I understand it they won't be available any time soon, for two reasons - one pearl growing takes time and two, exporting them is illegal under FP law

 

[Pearl Dreams]

hmmm...a blown pearl sack...Blowroques? Blaroques?

 

[jshepherd]

As I understand it they won't be available any time soon, for two reasons - one pearl growing takes time and two, exporting them is illegal under FP law

Where are you getting that information? There is nothing "illegal" about exporting these pearls.

Blaroques That name makes me smile.

 

[GemGeek]

Where are you getting that information? There is nothing "illegal" about exporting these pearls.

Blaroques That name makes me smile.

Too much like Blaire-roques!

Wendy, it's the second growth that has a baroque shell nuclei inserted. As long as the shell has the minimum coating, it can be exported. The first is not used. Maybe someone has sacks full of them waiting for a fast boat out of FP - Ha Ha!

 

[pearlescence]

oh dur..thanks Blair, I'm clearly brain dead when I wrote that - mind you irregular shapes will cause havoc with the x ray operators surely. With some of the curves and angles it will be hard to measure and judge

 

[GemGeek]

Good point. I'm sure they won't be wild about it.

 

[jshepherd]

oh dur..thanks Blair, I'm clearly brain dead when I wrote that - mind you irregular shapes will cause havoc with the x ray operators surely. With some of the curves and angles it will be hard to measure and judge

You would think that could be an issue, but Hisano and I cut one in half. Take a look at the image below. This is (was) a 14 mm pearl. That nacre is nearly 2 mm thick and is consistent all around. The nacre is more than double the legal requirement and more than double the thickness of most pearls coming out of FP.

 

[pearlescence]

With 2mm of nacre to start with there isn't going to be a problem with x-ray checks, for sure. There does appear to be some thinner nacre on the left hand slice but that could be a foreshortening in the photo.
Does the nacre develop faster with these pearls or does the thickness of the nacre still depend largely on the time in the water, and if so is the growth rate the same as for 'regular' pearls - in which case we are back to 'it all depends on the farmer'
I was thinking of perhaps a more convoluted basic shape - if the baroqueness is pretty gentle then there would not be the same problem. That pearl you bisected is not an extreme shape

 

[whicker]

Perhaps I've been listening to the news radio stations too much, but "Provoked Baroque" sounds like they have reason to be angry and react. How about something more positive and cheerful for the public image? Easy to remember and fun to pronounce, as well as descriptive visually, could work well.

I like the idea of the blue pill instead of muck for the first implant. That can have all sorts of positive public relations/advertising word play. I assume that it would make the driller's job much less odoriferous. Is it easier to remove, too?

How heavy are these to wear? Compared, say, to big fireballs?

 

[jshepherd]

Bit of a mouth-full! But amazing product, fascinating process and gorgeous strand! Are they still experimenting with the process or do you think they will be more readily available by say.....next March HK fair????

I really don't know. Most people I spoke with in Hong Kong had never seen nor heard of them yet. I thought I would see a lot more of them during the show, but we aren't there yet. By next March maybe we will!

 

[KarinK]

Cultured baroque? As the aim is the baroque pearl and not the pearl being a mishap while trying to culture a perfectly round pearl...

- Karin

 

[SunSeeker]

I think you make a good point, KarinK, but I would avoid using the word 'culture'. As a pearl newbie, that term reminds me of cultured pearls in general, How about something like 'baroque rococo'? ...sounds colorful, right?

 

[whicker]

SunSeeker,
Bravo! I really like that one!
I looked the term up on wiki, and the more one knows about the elegant and fun movement and style of the 18th century, the more it fits. The shell motif is integral, tying it back to the pearls. The portrait paintings of the era feature pearls. (Marie Antoinette wore them.)

 

[jshepherd]

Cultured baroque? As the aim is the baroque pearl and not the pearl being a mishap while trying to culture a perfectly round pearl...

- Karin

it is a cultured baroque. But every type of farmed baroque pearl is a cultured baroque too, just like fireballs and souffl

 

[Ramona]

What is the word for black magic woman in Polynesian? Pele pearls comes to my mind, but that's a man.

 

[SunSeeker]

Thanks, whicker!

And Jeremy is right, of course; all of these farm pearls are cultured. I just think the word conjures up negative connotations. ..but, maybe I'm just old school!

They are so gorgeous!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Jeremy, I found a name I think would be great for the pearls, which actually refers to the region including Polynesia:

Oceania or as it is also called, Oceanica. (My daughter and I like "Oceanica" -- as she says, it flows better.)

I think the ocean reference also evokes thoughts of the blues and greens in these pearls.

See Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceania

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Whoops, didn't mean to kill the thread! Keep the ideas coming!

 

[AMc]

Very cool The shape is just awesome, and I'd love to see more! BTW- Provoked Baroques makes me laugh, thumbs up!

 

[jshepherd]

Jeremy, I found a name I think would be great for the pearls, which actually refers to the region including Polynesia:

Oceania or as it is also called, Oceanica. (My daughter and I like "Oceanica" -- as she says, it flows better.)

I think the ocean reference also evokes thoughts of the blues and greens in these pearls.

See Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceania

This is a nice sounding name, but I feel like a name (one that would stick) would need to be one that expresses what it is or what it looks like, like souffle or fireball. Edison just didn't make any sense.