Color of Basra pearls

[Isi]

Hello to all experts,
In your opinion are there such things as black or dark Basra natural pearls ? Or are they all in the whitish or creamy range ?
If there exist some dark ones, would they come from Pinctada Radiata or from some other shell ?
Thank you !

 

[Caitlin]

Hi
I have seen Persian Gulf pearls of all different colors, though the creamy ones are by far the most common, I have seen very dark peacock, purplish, blueish, really golden, and more. They do have radiata pearls and maximas, I think, in the gulf, so I personally do not know the species of the colored ones I have seen. I didn't know there were different species, when I saw them as a youngster. Maybe it is margaritiferias, not maximas, -then that would explain the darker ones. I'll check Strack when I get back home, I am writing this on the fly.

 

[Isi]

Hi Caitlin, I've checked Strack myself, I should have done that to start with ! You are perfectly right, they do have subspecies of margaritifera along with radiata shells and most probably the darkest pearls come from margaritifera. Very dark pearls seem to be rather uncommon in this area anyway, but there are some. Thanks a lot !

 

[Caitlin]

Good for you for having Strack! You must be serious with a scholarly bent. So nice to have people with her book! The other main book I refer to for natural pearls is Kunz and Stevensen's 1908, "The Book of the Pearl" but all the info in it is now over 100 years old- a little time capsule....

 

[Isi]

I teach gemology so I had better have a scholarly bent...
And I had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth personally, so the least I could do after that was to buy her book.
We have 2 or 3 reference books in french as well but Strack's is by far and large the most complete and updated.