Black Sea Pearl from Indonesia

[Scesar74]

Hello, thanks for adding to this forum. I'm an Indonesia citizen.

Currently, I have a temporary job in East Indonesia, Halmahera Island. A Fisherman sold me a black sea pearls. He called it "Mata Kucing" Pearls. (Cat eyes). He told me that he took it in 30metre or 100 feet below the sea. And its a hard pearls compare to the white one. I couldn't find the same picture else where so I asked this forum.

Thanks in advance

 

[Pareltje]

They look like polished shell to me, not pearls.

 

[ericw]

That looks like carved shell's mother of pearl, not true pearls. Never seen before: I don't know what specy of shell has been carved to do, but results are very nice!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Scesar74, they look like shell to me, too. Possibly dyed.

 

[ericw]

If these objects have been dyed, colour has penetrated deeply between nacre layers. Strange, not seen on usual carved mother of pearl.... such a process would be more common use, looking at this effect.

 

[Simply adorned]

I googled “mata kucing” it is a Malaysian fruit meaning cat’s eye fruit. I don’t know anything about it, but the seeds are round and dark black-purple.

 

[ericw]

Yes, Simply adorned, glouglou shows fruits looking like lychees... It would be interesting to know if these "pearls" are hard, or making oil when heated a bit, because this way makes me think to some seeds of palms, which maybe can have a similar look when carved and dyed, greasy parts staying white, with this special translucent appearence.
Edit: only one test would be decisive, in case of palm seeds: if they float, they are greasy (any fatty materials are lighter than water)

 

[Scesar74]

I tested it. If i drop it, it bounced like a pearl. Not very high. If I scratch the white side, it had some dust pearl. But the black side is very hard. Did not left any dust. (Sorry my english)

 

[pattye]

Scesar,

Mother of Pearl material is very similar to pearl nacre. As others have said, what you have appears to be cut from a shell and also dyed. If you paid very much money for these, you have been taken advantage of. Recommend you don't buy anything more. The fisherman didn't tell you the truth, very sorry.

 

[Scesar74]

im not expert on pearls. But i just curious. I put it on a flash of iphone.

 

[Scesar74]

Like i said. The black side is very hard. But the white side is soft. If you scratch it on glass surface you have pearl dust. Could a mother of pearl do that?

 

[Scesar74]

Im no expert, but i really curious.... What kind of test to proof that is real pearl? Thanks for any input.

 

[GemGeek]

Expelled nuclei? Shell beads are implanted to grow cultured pearls. They would lose their roundness over time.

 

[Pareltje]

Expelled nuclei? Shell beads are implanted to grow cultured pearls. They would lose their roundness over time.

That's very likely. I know there are pearl farms in the Moluccas. I think Atlas also has a pearl farm there too.

 

[jshepherd]

They do look like some sort of polished shell or glass. One thing is certain. They are not pearls. The fisherman has a good imagination.