Chocolate Tahitians and Freshwaters

[silverseajewelry]

Chocolate tahitians were all the rage last year. So, my unassuming husband bought me a nice pair of chocolate tahitian studs for my birthday last fall. They are already out of style now, of course. They are pretty and I sometimes wear them...and I definitely want to encourage him to keep gifting pearls.

I never look a gift pearl in the mouth, you understand...but I just can't imagine what would possess people to color treat a tahitian pearl. The luster is wonderful, but the overtones, whatever they once were, are chocolated out.

I've been curious since I got them...what kind of treatment was used to color these things that still maintains the high tahitian pearl luster?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I found this thread on the topic and am reading it now:

https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=241

 

[GemGeek]

I'm surprised you say they are out-dated. They are still very hot in the industry and are only now getting out to the smaller stores. Chocolate brown was in the major fashion color trends for Autumn/Winter. They also look good with Spring/Summer colors, such as aqua and pink. I get a lot of trade magazines and the chocolate Tahitians are heavily featured.

 

[Joan A]

I have some chocolates, and I really love them. They go with a lot of my outfits, and my eyes. Of course they aren't as big as my eyes.. I wish..

 

[jshepherd]

I agree with GemGeek. They are still really hot. We constantly get requests for them and I know my brother sells a lot of them. Even freshwater producers are following suit with dyed CFWP knock-offs now. Imperial sells them, my brother does, and National is getting ready to release them.

 

[silverseajewelry]

Gem Geek: I didn't realize they were still hot. That's good news. Though I am a little too old to really worry much about fashion for myself.

 

[GemGeek]

Gem Geek: I didn't realize they were still hot. That's good news. Though I am a little too old to really worry much about fashion for myself.

I wear what I like, which is sometimes painfully obvious! But chocolate brown is one of my all-time favorite colors and for the last few years, it's been in style quite a bit. I remember several years when you couldn't even get it at a fabric store. Needless to say, I "stocked up".

Jeremy, I purchased a brown dyed freshwater set. You're right - they were popping up all over Tucson.

 

[KAC]

I saw a very long segment on the Shopping channel all about Chocolate FWP and how nobody can tell them from Tahitians, not true of course but the point is they are still big sellers.

 

[knotty panda]

They are already out of style now, of course.

I've been curious since I got them...what kind of treatment was used to color these things that still maintains the high tahitian pearl luster?

Pearls NEVER go out of style. How they are designed might, but the pearls themselves never do. Have them remounted.

I think they use the lesser quality Tahitians for the chocolates, so you needn't worry about scarificing those beautiful overtones. Better to treat a Tahitian than not use it at all. Personally, I would love some chocolate freshies with a slight rose overtone. That would suit my coloring perfectly.

 

[jshepherd]

I actually think the chocolates are the exception to the rule when it comes to pearl treatments. The chocolates that I have seen have clean surfaces and very reflective luster. I recently took a small lot of the hands of a Japanese processor to play around with. I am not sure what to do with them yet, but today we set a couple in rose gold and they looked amazing.

 

[GemGeek]

I would say a rose gold earring and pendant set would make a good monthly special!!!

 

[silverseajewelry]

Rose gold! Sounds like a great idea. Yes, the studs I have outstanding luster and even color.

In terms of PP monthly specials, and products...the earrings are lonely and could use a pendant to match.

 

[Mandy]

I would say a rose gold earring and pendant set would make a good monthly special!!!

Ooh, now there's an idea! And a good one at that! Hint hint!

 

[pearllove]

Iridesse has a lot of jewelry in rose gold with chocolate Tahitians. The rose gold really brings out the burnished color of the chocolates. Personally, I love the warm look.

 

[Josh]

I just wanted everyone to know that natural chocolate Tahitian pearls exist. The darker copper colors often do very good "imitations" of the "real" chocolates. Wow, that' a lot of quotes for one sentence.

 

[pernula]

I just wanted everyone to know that natural chocolate Tahitian pearls exist. The darker copper colors often do very good "imitations" of the "real" chocolates. Wow, that' a lot of quotes for one sentence.

I am a little confused. Copper means natural color and "real" chocolate means dyed chocolate or the other way round (copper means dyed..)? Is the choice of copper overtone in this pendant http://www.pearlparadise.com/detail.aspx?ID=123 natural or dyed?

How many percent of Tahitian pearls are naturally copper/brown/chocolate?

Thanks,
Pernula

 

[jshepherd]

The copper color is natural. I have made strands in the past that had a strong coppe/rbrown, almost chocolate coloration. But the color is not really the same and I have never made a perfectly matched, strong brown-color strand.

 

[silverseajewelry]

The natural brown tahitians that I have seen are copper, muddy brown that really is chocolate-colored, and bronze to almost gold. What is really neat is that the browns can be the body color and they can be any overtone on top of that. I have seen green and lilac overtones over brown.

It used to be that the brown colored Tahitians were considered lower value. I got a ring years ago for a song for this reason. I have always liked them. Wish I had a strand of natural brown ones!

 

[Josh]

Pernula,
It varies from island to island. For instance on Rangiroa atoll I have seen high numbers of them as I have in Huahine on my friend Ray's pearl farm there.
Strands of naturals will forever be difficult if not impossible to do though. As a color it's rare enough but if you have to get them all the same on dark to light scale you'll be in for a nightmare of a job.
Maybe the chocolate folly will increase the demand of the naturals and so drive the price higher. This farmer hopes so.

 

[pernula]

Hi Josh,

That's interesting the color range is different at different atolls. You have an explanation?

I hope the prices for beautiful naturals will go up for you and the other farmers. I kind of doubt whether the popularity of brown/chocolate is long term (>5 years into the future) though. IMHO red or blue is another story, human's fascination with ruby or sapphire or other gemstones in those color families never ends...

Cheers,
Pernula