new to pearls, what do i have here?

[newpearler2]

 

[Pearl Dreams]

The lighter ones look like cultured Chinese freshwater pearls--the white, peach and lavender are natural colors.

The black one looks very round. It could be a bead of some other material, can't tell from the photo-- or it could be a dyed fw pearl. If you can take a close-up shot of the black one against a white paper towel we might have a better idea what it is.

 

[newpearler2]

apologies for the mobile upload and the not so great lighting, these pearls came from salt water oysters, if the people that let us choose them are to be trusted. I personally watched them pop most of the oysters open for these pearls.

 

[GemGeek]

Where did you do this?

 

[jshepherd]

View attachment 23452View attachment 23453View attachment 23453 apologies for the mobile upload and the not so great lighting, these pearls came from salt water oysters, if the people that let us choose them are to be trusted. I personally watched them pop most of the oysters open for these pearls.

" ... are to be trusted."

They aren't.

Step one
Insert natural color and dyed (the black) freshwater pearls into a small akoya shell

Step two
Submerge shells in a solution that kills them and causes them to constrict

Step three
Set up shop in an area with a lot of tourists (Hawaii, Sea World, Florida)

Step four
Open the shells in front of people and "harvest" a pearl

It used to be that at least akoya (saltwater) pearls were used in these operations. Recently I've only seen freshwater pearls being used.

 

[pearlescence]

You can add Cornwall and the island of Jersey to that list Jeremy (and the clue to the company doing it is in the name). I've even seen a green fw ('the oyster was sick')
<sigh>

 

[BAS]

And Vegas...

 

[newpearler2]

This is a better photo of the pearl we picked...it is a dark purple in its base color and has a golden hue on top. We had a friend, who is a jeweler take a quick look at it and he stated that it appears to be a Eggplant Tahitian, however it would have to be tested to be sure. The people we picked the pearls from, opened the bags of oysters every morning as I watched them do so. If the pearl is a "fake" I would assume they have no knowledge of it as they have become friends of the festival where we work and where I am a member of the leadership team. It would be bad for business on their part to have something they are selling that is disingenuous. So my question is, how does one tell or prove it is real?

 

[newpearler2]

Here is a picture of all the pearls we have. Additionally, aside from the "eggplant" how do we find out what the pearls we have are worth?

 

[newpearler2]

View attachment 23476View attachment 23477View attachment 23478

 

[newpearler2]

Oklahoma Renaissance Festival

 

[jshepherd]

Read through my first post again. The pearls are not fake. The experience is fake. Your pearls are worth a few dollars at most.

The jeweler you spoke with has little to no experience with pearls if he thinks a dyed freshwater pearl could possibly be a Tahitian pearl with eggplant overtone. It isn't. Google what one looks like and also Google what a Pinctada margaritafera (the oyster that grows Tahitian pearls) looks like. It's about the size of a small dinner plate when the pearls are harvested.

There are hundreds if not thousands of those "pick an oyster, harvest a pearl" set-ups around the world, most set up in touristy locations. There are factories in and around Guangzhou, China that specialize in selling pearl-seeded shells - akoya (saltwater) shells that have freshwater pearls inserted into them BY hand and NOT grown in the shell. These shells sell for less than 50 cents apiece. That is where your pearls came from.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Check out the great photos of a Kamoka Farms aubergine (eggplant) Tahitian pendant in post 43 on the following page:

https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5569&page=3

More photos of the same pearl in post #50 of the same thread, on page 4 of that thread.


On these pages you will find a few photos of an opened Tahitian pearl oyster:

http://www.pearlindia.org/achievements.htm
http://www.netperles.com/perles_explik_guid_Qualite2.htm


When my husband and I honeymooned in Hawaii we saw one of these tourist-trap booths that sell a supposedly-unopened pearl oyster.
We didn't bite.

 

[Simply adorned]

Reading through this post made me think way back to 33 years ago in Hawaii, at the market in Waikiki, we went to one of those pick an oyster, find a pearl stands. I still have the pearl, in a ring setting. It must be an akoya as my freshwater pearls from the same time were rice crispy style. I will try to take some photos.
Thanks for the memories,
Margaret

 

[Simply adorned]

Here is a photo of my 33 year old 'find a pearl', may have been a lighter colour originally. Was set into an even older ring setting to replace a smaller worn down pearl. The pearl is 7mm. Can't find my original freshwater pearls, I had taken them apart to make new necklaces, they'll turn up one day (I hope). The second photo compares the ring to my newest ring, a 9mm white south sea (from tenderbeauty pearls).

 

[pattye]

Very pretty pearls, and graceful rings, love the way stones are set on the bypass design.

 

[bettepearl]

what are theses please?

 

[bettepearl]

not sure i am doing this correctly. what type of pearls are these?

 

[GemGeek]

Large bead-nucleated Chinese freshwater cultured pearls, often called fireballs or flameballs because of their tails. Very pretty!

 

[bettepearl]

Large bead-nucleated Chinese freshwater cultured pearls, often called fireballs or flameballs because of their tails. Very pretty!

does this mean they are real pearls? or something man made and not real as from the sea?