Need Opinions on Pearl Klonk

[perlas]

Thanks, everyone! I like the klonk a lot and wearing it for one day makes people stare!

Caitlin, they do cost a bit more (or the same) than the small tahitians and south seas (8mm-11mm). However, the quality of klonks are improving! A year ago, the klonks have bullet-shaped pearls and are dull. Now, they start to become round and shiny! I even saw very shiny perfect rounds of 13mm-14mm. But maybe they're available at the Tucson Show as well.

 

[Bodecia]

Yes, klonks are rare. They are not nucleated and have to live in mussels for years to get that big. Then most of them aren't very round by the time they get that size. I really high quality klonk goes for beaucoup bucks- maybe similar to Tahitians- though I am not positive about that.

Hi All, Caitlin do you mean top quality klonks are rare and expensive and some even similar in price to Tahitians?? It is so hard to buy from China due to so many dishonest practices on eBay from China. I know buying from China via eBay is not a good idea but in Australia it is very hard to find any reasonably priced FW pearls and even harder for konks. Never even seen any in jewellery shops, except imitiation shell pearls. Saw an imitation SS very baroque necklace for around $300. WOW high price and they had another gross vivid multi-coloured strand for the same price. That was horrid. Others at least looked good.

I was going thru my Klonks earlier and spotted some that were obviously nucleated and will recheck but I am sure they were. I will take a hammer to one of the worst ones to make sure. I can understand paying high prices for non nucleated FW klonks but not nucleated when one mussel grows many, many at a time.

Bodecia

 

[pattye]

Hi Caitlin and Bodecia and all,

Not certain I understood correctly, but--I think with bead nucleation in freshwater pearls, they cannot put in nearly as many as they can when using tissue only in the mantle. Plus they are putting the bead + tissue in a different place in the mussel. So I suspect the prices will stay pretty high for the top quality bead-nuked freshwater. Maybe one of our freshwater experts will chime in here with accurate details.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Caitlin]

I got my $10 klonk 3 years ago. It has a nice luster, but the dye cracked the skins on most of them.

United States Pearl had a huge selection of really pretty klonks at the Gem show. Very round High luster, some blemishs but not bad. I wish I'd asked the prices!!!!

 

[perlas]

Resurrecting this thread. Whatever happened to the klonks? Anyone still buying klonks these days and how's the availability?

Before the Edisons, there were tissue-nucleated FWPs that are sold 12mm and above which we called klonks in the forum. Because it takes a lot of time to grow these pearls and the luster is compromised the more you grow them, production is costly. However, there was a time they were affordable because of the preference for SSPs as bigger pearls but their prices sky-rocketed because of the limited availability of fine ones and the sudden huge demand for it.

The not-so-nice ones are dyed and sold cheap - I read the thread again and it's crazy Caitlin got USD10 for a strand at a gem show even though each pearl probably took at least 5-6 years to make!

I've got a few from before but I've seen the supply dwindle and the pearls smaller. Has anyone made a recent klonk purchase? Just curious. If not, when was your last klonk purchase or has anyone seen them lately in the market?

Here is my last klonk purchase I think 5 years ago...a choker necklace of 12.5mm-15.1mm...

 

[MSC]

Id be interested in non-bead klonks if they are out there. I've not seen any on the web... Yours are very pretty, Perlas!

 

[GreenBling]

Saw on etsy (WenPearls), 12-15mm USD$400.

 

[perlas]

GreenBling, that price isn't bad for the size.

Andrea, it's nice to have one for collection.

 

[Purranha]

I was curious so I messaged WenPearls - those Klonks are edison type bead nucleated ones...
So does that make the klonks less desirable here?

 

[perlas]

Purranha Edisons are desirable in their own right! That's why the tissue-uncleared large ones are dwindling. They can be larger, faster to produce and easier to achieve roundness and luster than large tissue-nucleated ones.

 

[Purranha]

Lol yes I know there are magnificent Edisons out there! boy would I like to get my hands on a lustrous purple strand.
I was just referring to the fact that we seem to want tissue-nucleated klonkers here!

 

[perlas]

Purranha, this is because I revived an old thread before the Edisons hit the market. About 8 years ago, the market only had "fireballs" for big nucleated fw pearls - these are Edisons with tails.....then the technology got better and the round pearls were achieved. I think the Edisons will become better and better as time goes by.

 

[Purranha]

Goodness - it was 8 years ago this thread got started wasn't it? I'm seriously envious of you ladies who started your collections early!

 

[BWeaves]

I've never heard of klonks. Is that their real name or just what you called them here? Because it doesn't sound "marketing worthy" if you get my drift.

So, those of you have have klonks, how do they compare weight-wise to Edisons? Big pearls can get heavy fast, so I'm wondering how full nacre pearls would compare to bead nucleated pearls for weight.

 

[perlas]

Yes this is an 8-year old thread Purranha. Lol.

BWeaves,
You are right. The klonks isn't anyone's commercial marketing. It's what we call big pearls.

Here's a quote from Caitlin:

Small pearls clink -medium pearls clank and large pearls klonk. 12mm + or - is a klonker.

Generally, since tissue-nucleated FWPs are mostly nacre, they are lighter. However, the bead-nucleated Edisons will have different weights depending on the type of mussel shell nuclei different farms use and how big they are. Some will have thicker nacre-coating while some will have bigger nucleus. Unless there is a controlled industry standard, I assume the Edisons are same as South Sea Pearls, bigger beads with thin nacre-coating are usually heavier....unless there are lighter nuclei being used that I don't know of!

 

[Purranha]

Perlas - you have impressive technical knowledge (that's a blanket statement for the gemstone thread as well)!

 

[KarinK]

My klonks are less desirable because they are chalky and without much luster - especially compared to my baroque Akoya, though bigger. They also cost less than the akoya but were not exactly cheap.

- Karin

 

[baby nurse]

Pearl Klonks to share!

These are dyed grey FWP from Kojima Pearl. The largest pearl at the center is roughly 15mm.

 

[CathyKeshi]

Wow, those are NOT klonks when worn with that sweater, BabyNurse ... look how they pick up the purple tones!

 

[Katbran]

Holy Klonks! Those are some DOOZYS! Gorgeous BN!!