Candled Natural Pearls

[Bodecia]

Okay a few more of the same pearl.

I am wondering why no one else has been candling. Also has anyone bought the USB microscope I recommended?

Might be able to post the other ring before long. If not it will be in a few hours.


Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.
Dawn?s Pearls - https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8351

 

[Bodecia]

Here is another pearl, white about 7mm. It is not perfectly round and has the look of a natural. You will notice a look of peeling and in a way it is, but I think it might possibly be from wear or came out of the mollusk that way. Below the top layer of nacre the couple of peeling? areas show a wonderful lustre.

I cannot see the bottom of the pearl but it appears it may be slightly flat bottomed or a high button pearl.

I tried to take the candling photos from all sides but this proved very hard due to the setting. I am not sure if it is a River Pearl or Saltwater. It does appear natural to me but once again I cannot be sure. It was sold to me as natural.

Comments please and Dave please can you give me your opinions on both this one and the previous pearl candled. How did your trip go and did you manage the time to make some pearl jewellery.

Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.
Dawn’s Pearls - https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8351

 

[MSC]

that is a pretty ring, Dawn!

 

[Bodecia]

Hi Andrea, thank you. I like it but it is supposed to have a natural pearl and I can't "read" the photos. Wonder where Dave is.

The other pearl is supposed to be natural too. But is it

Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.
Dawn’s Pearls - https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8351

 

[MSC]

Ah, yes, I think this is why maybe people aren't as interested in candling pearls: it's really difficult to read them! I would love to take a seminar or class on reading candled pearls. I certainly wouldn't trust myself to get an accurate reading from my candling photos!

 

[Bodecia]

Hi Andrea, we do miss Dave when he is not around don't we !!! I have a lot more photos of some pearls I know are natural and others I am not sure about but no use adding photos until Dave shows up. I do want to know about those two I listed as they were sold to me as naturals so I took a punt. If they are not I will send back at least one. Maybe not the smaller ring but the first one for sure. Cost too much for me to keep if not natural. I did check what the seller meant by saying natural. These days cultured are referred to as natural as you know so I made sure. Even sellers saying Wild pearls means nothing now as sellers are describing them as Wild pearls in a tricky way meant to catch the unwary.


Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.
Dawn’s Pearls - https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8351

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

I've been busy at Lagoon Island. The clear, cold winter weather is ideal, before mussels get into spawning mode. The intertidal shoreline is vulnerable to freezing, so I'm babysitting late into the night with a fire hose and power pump.



Dawn, this pearl has cultured features. A singular, square nucleus in the center. In the top right corner of the image, you'll see two other discernible concentric layers. This pearl grew fast, appearing 3.5 to 4 years of age. The color is consistent with Chinese hybrids.



This pearl also presents as freshwater in origin. I'm having difficulty determining natural features. It's mounted with epoxy glue, which has an obvious diffusion of light. In most of the views, juvenile growth is visible and continuous near the surface and one view shows a single dark mass at the nucleus. These features support the "double" pearl theory. This is where a pearl becomes so big, it pops from the pearl sac then becomes encapsulated a second time. That happens in nature occasionally but in freshwater culture it happens a lot. Normally, a natural pearl of this size/age, would be occluded with calcite to at least some degree, where this pearl is quite translucent in the outer layers.

In this case, X-radiography is indicated as candling is indeterminate.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

I did check what the seller meant by saying natural. These days cultured are referred to as natural as you know so I made sure. Even sellers saying Wild pearls means nothing now as sellers are describing them as Wild pearls in a tricky way meant to catch the unwary.

If the seller cannot provide information on the source, yet use the term wild or natural... big red flags go up. How could they possibly know anything, if they cannot identify the species and location of harvest, at the very least?

Besides that, why would anyone even want a natural pearl if they don't know it's origin?

In this day and age of deception, I use a jaundiced eye to look at pearls when looking at pearls. Although some naturals may ultimately be rejected as indeterminable by the candling method, it's not a last resort when x-radiography can still be used. In some cases, cultured pearls (especially freshwater) take on natural features and these can be exploited by aggressive sales tactics... even to the wary. Without provenance, drilled strands with destroyed nuclei and singles without exemplars are like playing Russian roulette, except with one bullet missing from a full revolver. Luck is one thing, but common sense should prevail when it comes to pulling the trigger.

It cannot be said enough... know your source!

In the exemplars posted at the beginning of this thread, you'll see features known to be natural. Flame or champagne structures, non geometric nuclei, multiple or no initiating event sites. While some naturals have singular initiating events, they tend to present as unique (somewhat embryonic) when compared to the singular simplicity of tissue grafted pearls.

 

[GemGeek]

Great advice, Dave. Glad to hear that conditions are good, but it's unfortunate that you have to stay up late in the cold to care for them.

 

[MSC]

Thank you for the graphic overlay showing the nucleus in the pearl, it really brings the visual out when looking at the pearl without the graphic. I can start to see what you're seeing, which is a big help!

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Thank you for the graphic overlay showing the nucleus in the pearl, it really brings the visual out when looking at the pearl without the graphic. I can start to see what you're seeing, which is a big help!

Donor tissue is first cut in strips, then divided into individual squares. Once grafted into the recipient, it continues to grow instead of dissolving, which makes it easy to spot when candled.

Owing to the relative sterility of the operation, the nucleus will most often be encapsulated within the first year of growth. It's not common to see shadows or streaks in subsequent layers.

In natural pearls, the initiating event often tends to be unruly for a few years and proteinaceous growth (conchiolin) is visible in multiple layers.

 

[Bodecia]

I've been busy at Lagoon Island. The clear, cold winter weather is ideal, before mussels get into spawning mode. The intertidal shoreline is vulnerable to freezing, so I'm babysitting late into the night with a fire hose and power pump.

Hi Dave, No one else but those here on the PG-F would believe or understand babysitting mussels in freezing weather. Such dedication only a true natural pearl lover would understand. Sounds like you have been having an interesting time

Dawn, this pearl has cultured features. A singular, square nucleus in the center. In the top right corner of the image, you'll see two other discernible concentric layers. This pearl grew fast, appearing 3.5 to 4 years of age. The color is consistent with Chinese hybrids.

Dave, Regarding the large pearl showing red in the photos I am a little confused. And the colour is a creamy white. It is very large and does appear to be a South Sea Pearl with the typical appearance of a SS pearl. But it also a has hammered metal appearance. I have included some photos but will take bigger, better ones. It does not look at all like a freshwater pearl. I have many SS pearls in stock (cultured), apart from my naturals, and the real only difference with this one is the hammered look and the fact that the seller swore that it was a natural pearl.

Unfortunately most of us are not in a position to find or buy pearls directly from the source. How could we be? I have found many natural pearls just by sight. Naturally I am not always right. But once in my hand I can most of the time tell just by site and/or with a short inspection.

Could you look at the photos of the pearl and then the candling photos in a new light. The pearl is 14mm across. Although roundish it is not round and the bottom is covered which I suppose is partly for support but also it could be to cover natural blemishes which I presume it has.

Could you explain what you mean by it growing fast? How can you tell? It is 14mm across with no bead that I can see. Plus the colour does not show in the previous photos so I don't see how it is consistent with Chinese hybrids.

As for the smaller pearl I thought it had the look of a natural and when I saw it I thought likely a river pearl if natural. It is a pretty little ring though and probably worth what I paid regardless.

Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.
Dawn’s Pearls - https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8351

 

[Bodecia]

I will also try taking photos with my other microscope and light which does not alter the colours as much. About time I tried the other microscope again.


Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.
Dawn’s Pearls - https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8351

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Dave, Regarding the large pearl showing red in the photos I am a little confused. And the colour is a creamy white. It is very large and does appear to be a South Sea Pearl with the typical appearance of a SS pearl. But it also a has hammered metal appearance. I have included some photos but will take bigger, better ones. It does not look at all like a freshwater pearl. I have many SS pearls in stock (cultured), apart from my naturals, and the real only difference with this one is the hammered look and the fact that the seller swore that it was a natural pearl.

Could you look at the photos of the pearl and then the candling photos in a new light. The pearl is 14mm across. Although roundish it is not round and the bottom is covered which I suppose is partly for support but also it could be to cover natural blemishes which I presume it has.

My opinion is only as good as the information I have at hand. If I'm presented with incomplete data then chances are the results will be skewed. Of course I can look again in a new light, but I can't do that because the pearl isn't in my lab. I can never say it too many times that this task can only done accurately with high resolution images that are representative to their appearance and accompanied with complete statistical disclosure.

I have a lot of pearls in my collection that have that reddish brown color. Conchiolin is mainly brown and aragonite can be white or brown, so in retrospect those images were misleading.

Hammer marks do not exclude culture nor support natural definitively. They are often the result of over-maturity or deficient epithelial behavior. When important data is withheld or inaccurate, it ceases to be objective and becomes a subjective test of my abilities where the results can be challenged.

I started this thread with a purpose. Known exemplars. It was my hope some may be educated as to make their work easier, not mine more difficult.

 

[GemGeek]

Right. It's most likely a cultured South Sea pearl. I've seen many with the same external features. Here is a photo of a cultured South Sea pearl from a special collection that I will share later.

 

[Bodecia]

My opinion is only as good as the information I have at hand. If I'm presented with incomplete data then chances are the results will be skewed. Of course I can look again in a new light, but I can't do that because the pearl isn't in my lab. I can never say it too many times that this task can only done accurately with high resolution images that are representative to their appearance and accompanied with complete statistical disclosure.

Hi Dave,

It was stupid of me not to put in all I did know about the pearl but I wasn't intentionally withholding data. I had been working long and hard without a break and when I got a chance to do some candling I guess I got a little carried away. Plus as your temps were around freezing the temps here got to at least 47 deg C and my brain was not exactly functioning in a top mode.

I think it will take many more candled photos before most of us can read them properly. It would be a good idea if as when someone asks for opinion about an unknown pearl it is stated that size, belief of what the pearl is and a good photo of pearl before candling would be a good idea which would avoid much confusion. This I did not do and I apologise.

Hammer marks of course do not say a pearl is natural it is just an indicator that it might be.. I do realise this.

As for the 14mm Creamy White SS pearl I am actually none the wiser. I realise you cannot say with certainty that any pearl not in your lab is natural or not but you can advise if it might be worth having it X-rayed because of features. I would really appreciate it you could advise on what you see in regards to the pearl knowing it is a SS pearl of unknown origins.

I have been candling most of the day, naturals, hopefuls and known cultured SS pearls to try to get a feel for them but results are still mixed and confusing. But only one I am sure is a natural SS pearl looks like this large pearl. I still feel there is a chance it is natural and would appreciated your opinion. I do feel that the photos I took of this pearl were of a very good at the least. I have tried taking more of it but results are virtually the same.

I have taken more photos of the same pearl but feel they do not show more than the first and second lots but will add a couple.
These are still coloured but not so much as the others. It seems that ambient light and sunshine from the windows effects what the microscope picks up.


Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.
Dawn?s Pearls - https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8351

 

[Bodecia]

This is a white SS cultured pearl around 12mm in diam. Photos of it as is and candled. I managed by moving the microscope and covering windows to get it close to white as well as pink.


Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.
Dawn?s Pearls - https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8351

 

[Bodecia]

This is a SS pearl on an Art Deco pendant which appears to be unaltered from when it was first made. The Pearl is white and fairly large. At first because of the design I thought it might be natural but I am truly not sure and the extra growth made me dubious. I cannot "read" the photos. Quite a lot of them. But we like photos don't we.


Dawn - Bodecia
http://www.ebay.com/sch/dawncee333/m.html
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 Natural pearl collector & seller. And all round pearl lover.
Dawn?s Pearls - https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8351

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Even in the absence of candled views, it's highly unlikely a natural pearl would appear this way.

The tail is caused by a displaced graft. Instead of laying flat against the bead, only a portion of it does, causing this type of bridging.

The candling bears this out, as you can see it's dark and rich in conchiolin in the tail. It's also appears pinned with a capped wire. However I don't see it in the views. If it's drilled through, the bead occludes the shadow of it.

It's a cultured pearl.

 

[GemGeek]

I would never have considered candling a pearl like this, but Dave's description of what has happened is interesting to see in the photos. Good job, Dawn.