Natural Black Pearls

[Ingykiz]

Valeria101,
So true! That PP necklace is a museum piece. It should be seen by all who could appreciate the true natural beauty of each and every pearl on that strand. I bet it is a neck breaker!!!

 

[SteveM]

Fine, I'll bite. So if that fantastic SS round strand at PP is worth $500K, then why aren't the natural strands under current consideration worth $5M?

Steve
Seattle

 

[Valeria101]

... if that fantastic SS round strand at PP is worth $500K, then why aren't the natural strands under current consideration worth $5M?

Ha! What difference would that make ? (unless for selling posters)

 

[SteveM]

Museum pieces both, for sure!

Steve
Seattle

 

[Slraep]

Hmmm...the PP one-of-a-kind necklace certainly is a beauty. And it has brought to mind a few other questions that have been bugging me for a while, which Jeremy can most probably answer for me.

In SS pearls of extraordinary sizes (21-22mm), how and where do they get the MOP nucleation beads in proportional extraordinary sizes? Are the cut and rounded MOPs one sold piece or are they composed of two hemi-spheres that are glued together??

Slraep

 

[jshepherd]

The nacre on those giant pearls is sure to be extremely thick, but large single nucleus is used. There is a shell, the Quadrula quadrula, which can produce large beads. Striations are ok as the nacre is thick enough to hide them. I have never heard of anyone using 2 halves. You can see how they are created here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iaMjIc9V4g

 

[DFrey]

Hi Jeremy,
Beautiful string of pearls, it definitely needs a special one off handmade clasp! How many years/ harvests would it take to collect the pearls to put together a necklace of this size and quality?

dfrey

 

[knotty panda]

You're comparing apples to oranges. Right now the trend in fashion is big is better. And SS is more of an attention grabber than natural. Right now.

 

[SteveM]

?SS is more of an attention grabber than natural?

The industry itself cannot promote naturals as they are a non-renewable resource. Thus demand is shaped (? la DeBeers). Details abound no doubt among Slraep's 'unmentionables.'

Steve
Seattle

 

[Valeria101]

...naturals as they are a non-renewable resource. ...Details abound no doubt among Slraep's 'unmentionables.'

l thought that 'renewable resources' are all the rage these days rather than un-mentionable

 

[Slraep]

The nacre on those giant pearls is sure to be extremely thick, but large single nucleus is used.

How thick?

There is a shell, the Quadrula quadrula, which can produce large beads. Striations are ok as the nacre is thick enough to hide them. I have never heard of anyone using 2 halves. You can see how they are created here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iaMjIc9V4g

Yes there are companies that manufacture glued MOP nuclei. They are cut from p. maxima though and can be as big as 20mm. Whether they are perfect halves, I don't know. But they do exist and surgical quality glue is used. Boy, the quadrula must be some big mollusk.

Slraep

 

[Valeria101]

Boy, the quadrula must be some big mollusk.

Not really, but they sure are armored: super thick shells with even thicker ribs through them, more like a slab of rock than shell. Didn't know they are used for pearl nucleii, but no surprise there.

 

[Valeria101]

And SS is more of an attention grabber than natural.

Not sure of that, at least considering the relative amount of headlines, LOL!

Other than this forum a couple of months ago... I haven't really heard of any 'competition' between natural and cultured pearls.

 

[SteveM]

l thought that 'renewable resources' are all the rage these days rather than un-mentionable

No argument!

Steve
Seattle

 

[knotty panda]

The industry itself cannot promote naturals as they are a non-renewable resource. Thus demand is shaped (? la DeBeers).
Steve
Seattle

That is precisely what I wanted to say, except, I didn't know how to say it. Thanks!

 

[Caitlin]

Here is a picture of quadula quadrula

 

[CortezPearls]

Just to continue with this great thread... a friend of mine sent me a photo from a magazine named: "The Jeweler's Weekly" (june 20, 1889) where it was reported that "...the black pearl pendant is one of the most attractive jewels in the collection. It is formed of diamonds, mounted in a tasteful design, among them being set no less than eight large, black pearls, all from the Gulf of California. The pearls are elegantly matched, and the four larger ones, somewhat ovoid in form, are made into a pendant which hangs in a recess in the brooch, the largest pearl, in which the pendant terminates, being lower than the bottom brooch."
The Pendant is called "Farnham's Black Pearl Pendant" and was exhibited at the 1889 Paris Exposition.
The photo -unfourtunately- is black-&-white...but I still hope some will find it special.

 

[GemGeek]

That is fabulous!

 

[Amrita]

What a fantastic piece! I don't think it really matters that the picture is B&W because the pendant itself is mostly black (pearls) and white (diamonds). Breathtaking!

 

[pattye]

That is quite amazing, Douglas! Love the way the center pendant is framed. Thanks for the picture!