Kasumi-ish pearl grading?

[helena]

These wrinkly kasumi-ish pearls I just could not resist. I bought them 2nd hand and paid 199 dollars for them. Pearls are 11-12 mm and the weight of the necklace 72 g. (pics from reliable auction house site). How are pearls like these graded? I would be grateful if anyone who knows more about this kind of pearls could tell me something about their quality. I guess they are in body bead nucleated pearls from reading old PG threads. Should the wrinkles bee considered flaws or characteristics?

 

[KarinK]

Hi Helena,

I don't think Kasumi-likes are graded. I think it's a question of liking them or not It's such a unique area of the pearl world that only few people concern themselves with it - kasumi-like even more than real Kasumis that have some collectors value for being rare.

Your new pearls looks delicious to me I like how there are some wrinkles but not too many. The price sounds good too. I believe the general oppinion is that the kasumi-likes are a step on the way to perfectly round pearls. In the eyes of the world, blemish-free, perfectly round pearls with maximum luster are the best.

- Karin

 

[pattye]

Helena,

Congratulations on your beautiful necklace! Gorgeous metallic color and well matched. These appear to be a high quality, but I cannot tell you they are a specific grade. The ripples and wrinkles are characteristics of the Chinese kasumi pearls, with some smoother areas even on the same pearl. These pearls generally have thick nacre over the bead nucleus. Grading depends on the company selling them. Lower grades will have dark blemishes, pits, and sometimes "potholes" showing the bead. (I have both genuine Japanese kasumi pearls as well as Chinese kasumi, and love this look too!)

What kind of comments and compliments are you receiving?

 

[pearlescence]

I've graded the ones on my website, according to how good they are compared to an archetypical Kasumi-ish pearl, so I'm saying that AAA is metallic lustre, even wrinkles, no pits or divots (certainly no bead - yikes!) a round shape considering the pleating of the surface and good colour, wether single colour like yours, or multi with the gold leaf effect.
Last time in HK there were sack loads of so-so ones

 

[Pearl Dreams]

The kasumi-like pearls and the Edison pearls are both cultured in a particular mussel that is a cross between Hyriopsis schlegelii (the Biwa pearl mussel) and Hyriopsis cumingii (triangleshell mussel used generally to culture the round and oval freshwater pearls we buy nowadays.)

I never thought of it before reading KarinK's post but I suppose the kasumi-like pearls are just the ones that didn't form as perfectly as the Edisons? If so, then the surface growth characteristics of the kasumi-like pearls are technically flaws-- that is, they are not intended to look that way. But many of them have superb orient and luster, so who cares? If you love them, you love them! I see the Jewel of the Week on Pricescope is a huge kasumi-like strand-- fabulous pearls. link: http://www.pricescope.com/blog/jewel-week-metallic-baroque-freshwater-pearl-necklace

Here are a few threads and articles about the bead-nukes:
https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5834

https://www.pearl-guide.com/freshwater-pearls.shtml (see last entry)

 

[pattye]

My feeling is that the Edison and the Chinese kasumi are coming from different mussels, or a different cross. Do we have any verification of this? Grace Pearl has been very secretive about the Edisons.

 

[Caitlin]

My thought is the kasumi-like pearls are attempts to get smooth ones, but it seems that they had to overcome the wrinkles to get to smooth. There are smooth Kasumi pearls too, so I know they have been getting nucleated rounds in Kasumi pearls for years-decades, maybe.

The Edison touch seems to be to get them to be enormous and smooth, but I would not be surprised to see huge wrinkly ones they probably don't claim....

This is a guess, so I would love some correction if needed.....

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

My feeling is that the Edison and the Chinese kasumi are coming from different mussels, or a different cross. Do we have any verification of this? Grace Pearl has been very secretive about the Edisons.

Information is vague, but apparently they are using the same hybrid with artificially elevated thermal levels to accelerate growth.

 

[helena]

Thank you all for info. Flawed or not I like the style. I just wondered about grading because some sellers give AAA:s to their wrinkly ones. Grading these pearls seems to be up to individual sellers, as Wendy explained. Pattye, I am glad to hear about thick nacre as I intend to were my pearls a lot.

-helena

 

[jshepherd]

From what I understand, it's the location of the bead in the mussel. The Kasumi-ish pearls are in-body nucleated and the Edisons are either in an organ or possible the mantle, but there is something applying pressure to the pearl sac.

 

[Caitlin]

Artificially raised temperatures? Maybe someone in Arizona should take up freshwater pearl farming. We have huge shrimps farms near my home in the Tucson outback, why not pearls? The grown shrimp live in artificial ponds, and are far away from germs and conditions that kill shrimp.

We have lots of manure for mussel food lying around...

 

[pattye]

There you go, Caitlin!

Just wanted to add that the rippled, textured Japanese Kasumi and Chinese kasumi-like pearls remind me of the gorgeous pleated silk fabric invented by Mariano Fortuny, a Spanish fashion designer; still popular in high fashion today. Smooth nacre in many cases is desirable, but I would not want it to be the only option, anymore than having only round pearls.

 

[waimeamomi]

With you there Pattye!

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Artificially raised temperatures? Maybe someone in Arizona should take up freshwater pearl farming. We have huge shrimps farms near my home in the Tucson outback, why not pearls? The grown shrimp live in artificial ponds, and are far away from germs and conditions that kill shrimp.

We have lots of manure for mussel food lying around...

I suppose mussels would grow anywhere provided the right environment. A shellfish hatchery is no small investment though, especially as opposed to catching spatfall naturally.

Mussels wouldn't eat manure. They would only capture and digest cells of living algae. It probably wouldn't be prudent to use manure to grow the algae either, for fear of proliferating undesireable pathogens or introducing invasive species into the water course. Even under sterile conditions, algae blooms can get unruly fast. 50-0-0 fertilizer is inexpensive and much easier and safer to work with.

I'm pretty sure Grace takes extraordinary measures to maintain water quality.

Wrinkling occurs commonly in nature and would speculate they are incidental, rather than an induced technique.

 

[Caitlin]

Thanks for the info. I was referring to the times I heard that pig manure was put in the ditch water to grow the mussels...

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Thanks for the info. I was referring to the times I heard that pig manure was put in the ditch water to grow the mussels...

Right, to feed the algae, which in turn fed the mussels.

Dumping untreated sewage and thermal induction are double edged swords without adequate measures to preserve water quality. Interestingly, the larvae of freshwater mussels attach themselves to the gills of fish until which time they drop off and become buried in sediments. Fecal coliform originates from mammals only and conflicts with most other user groups. E. coli, cryptosporidium, giardia etc. are no slouch either and can kill or cross infect non-human fauna. Oddly enough, chemical fertilizer is the ecologically sound method of choice and even then, requires diligent monitoring and control.

 

[Amrita]

Love those pearls of yours, Helena! Lovely lustre and I like the rippled surface..