Newbie knowing nothing about pearls! Can u guys help? Please?

[klynnh]

Can someone please tell me what kind of pearls I have in the attached pics? I know absolutely nothing about pearls except that if you touch your teeth to them, they have an extreme grit feel to them. All of these have that feel to them but this is all I know about them. Are they worth selling or should I throw them in my arts and crafts bag? The funny shaped things I didn't know if they were pearl or not but they have that extreme grit feel to them. They have had holes drilled in them already. Thanks so much!!!!!!

 

[Marianne]

Hi klynnh,
Welcome. You have an interesting assortment of what appears to be Chinese cultured freshwater pearls with one picture being shell beads. Looks like you have some crafty projects ahead of you!

 

[klynnh]

so I should just throw them in my craft bag- nothing worth makin a fuss over? Thanks so much! Ive been looking for an answer for sometime now! Be Blessed!!!!!

 

[klynnh]

It would be my luck not to have anything worth a dime!!! Lol!!!!!!!!

 

[Caitlin]

True, But you can make something worth more than $100 out of the pearls you have! I'd play with the oil-slick colors and the abalone shells and the other ones and arrange them into something I like, then string it up and wear it!

 

[lisa c]

Were they gifts, did you purchase them? Caitlin's right, it looks like you could have some fun there.

 

[Adeline Leigh]

CFW flameball fireball pearls - Question from a newbie.. "Are these on their way out?

CFW flameball fireball pearls - Question from a newbie.. "Are these on their way out?



Hi there revered PG members. Thank you so much for admitting me into your select group. Am thrilled to find my tiny voice here after two years of lurking in the shadows; 'eavesdropping' on your conversations and stealthily documenting the pearls of wisdom that appear with your collective keystrokes.

You see, I have an all too 'healthy' obsession with CFWs particularly those flameballs and fireballs. I have been buying these (and more) over the last three annual harvests from Sarah at Kojima, Fuji at Pacific, and a few other vendors in HK and the mainland. But this year, most disconcertingly, I can find few of these tailed beauties. Even when I (or at times, my pilot brother) finds them, they are priced so astronomically that we baulked at purchasing them.

Hence Burning Question #1 that I pose to the pearling gurus: Are these baroque flameballs fast disappearing from the market due to advances in nucleation? Are their tails evolving into no tails as the Chinese farmers pursue the no-longer elusive 15mm round pearl? (These in the pics measure 14-23mm thereabouts.)

Burning Question #2 will probably be answered more readily by savvy photographers. Please excuse my first few feeble attempts at photographing pearls. But apart from the blurred images (that I think I now know how to correct), why is it so difficult to capture the orient and lustre of the pearls?

The pics of the multi-coloured flameballs appear decent enough to my novice eyes, but the pondslimes ones are just so lacklustre and washed out. Despite numerous attempts I can't seem to capture the spectacular range of purplish (and pondslimey) tones - lavender lilac to deep vanda joaquim purple.

Any response would be very much appreciated. Am a rabid collector and I would love to document my many strands before cutting them up. I think I have had them long enough in my collection and perhaps it is time to stop caressing them and actually consider using them!

Adeline Leigh
Melbourne and Singapore

 

[Adeline Leigh]

Oops! Posted on the wrong thread. Now it's sitting awkwardly here. Apologies! Please re-post if necessary elsewhere. Thanks!

 

[Mikeyy]

Oh you are in trouble now. Wait until the boss finds out.

 

[Nora]

Oh you are in trouble now. Wait until the boss finds out.

Great!

 

[jshepherd]

Hence Burning Question #1 that I pose to the pearling gurus: Are these baroque flameballs fast disappearing from the market due to advances in nucleation? Are their tails evolving into no tails as the Chinese farmers pursue the no-longer elusive 15mm round pearl? (These in the pics measure 14-23mm thereabouts.)

Burning Question #2 will probably be answered more readily by savvy photographers. Please excuse my first few feeble attempts at photographing pearls. But apart from the blurred images (that I think I now know how to correct), why is it so difficult to capture the orient and lustre of the pearls?

Welcome to the forum!

I see plenty of the fireballs in Hong Kong. Some can be very expensive, especially the really large strands with insane colors and metallic luster. I saw strands for sale in Zhuji back in January for more than $10,000 apiece. But at the show I've seen loads of less expensive strands, especially in the smaller sizes. There are a couple of sample links below.

Expensive fireball strand

Smaller, less expensive fireball strand

There very well may be fewer of them on the market now, especially since Grace turned from a fireball focus to beaded rounds (the Edison pearl line). Grace was a big fireball producer. But even with fewer on the market, I don't feel like there is any sort of shortage.

Photographing pearls is notoriously difficult. I suggest playing around with the lighting. But I don't do the photography here so I'm not the best person to give advice on this.

 

[Caitlin]

Welcome! It's about time you revealed yourself to us. I can tell, you are a true Pearl Lover!!!!! Now photo those strands and get to work. I can hardly wait to see what you do with them!!!

You could start your own thread with these pix and than add more, Keeping it all on one thread does make your stuff easier to find, but no big deal to start here. What is the saying. "Start Anywhere".

And you can write!!! I loved the phrasing of your intro!! Do you have a blog?

 

[Adeline Leigh]

CFW fireball and flameball earrings

CFW fireball and flameball earrings

Oh my, oh my! Was thrilled when I re-logged back in. Responses from the pearling big boys (Jeremy and Mikkey) and bigwigs (Nora and Caitlin). Thanks for the warm welcome.

Jeremy: Oh, I have had my eye on those metallic lustre tailed ones over at PP. In fact, your souffles are singing their siren call. It's just that with this economy, my husband's put an embargo on my pearling pursuits temporarily. Not to worry, when the index nudges up and he's adding to his bonds and stocks portfolio, I'll be PM-ing you asap and making a deposit into what I call my baubles and stones portfolio. He may not agree with my asset allocation but a gal's got to invest in what she believes in In my books, even if the gems and pearls market goes bust (cue my Chinese grandmother at this juncture interjecting with a loud "Choy! Choy!" and a robust knock on hardwood), at least I've left my 2 little girls a great legacy.

Caitlin: Nope, no blog. Have a full-time job in education research and spend whatever free time I have after the girls (under 7's) are in bed trawling the net for ... pearls. Oh I can just tell, PG is going to be a totally new vice for this borderline obsessive-addictive personality.

And, yes, I have actually made tentative forays into beading. If you don't mind my sharing, here's an earlier attempt last year with a pair of peach-pink(?) flameballs as focals and cascades of oregon sunstone, pink tourmaline (Afghan and Nigerian), rhodolite and pyrope garnet, Longido red rubies and Thai pink sapphire.

Can you tell? I'm massively obsessed with gemstones too! In fact, I spy a thread on welo Ethiopian opal and pearls and I think I will go add my 2 cents worth there as well!

!

 

[KarinK]

WOW, Adeline, I looooove those earrings! I can just tell you're going to be a wonderful addition to PG. What took you so long to speak up? We are all so nice here...

- Karin

 

[Caitlin]

Oh! My! Share more! Quickly, quickly!

 

[lisa c]

Yes, Please share quickly- You've got the Creativity and Vision gene! Express yourself right here!

 

[pattye]

Lovely earrings, Adeline! And welcome! We are not at all restrictive to just pearls.

 

[Adeline Leigh]

Thank you ladies.

I come from a long line of frustrated artists; tamed bohemian spirts in corporate suits.My poor dad gained entry into St Martins Sch of Art inthe 60s with his Dali-esque portfolio but was truly too poor to go.

Fiddling with gems and pearls is my latest creative outlet. I think quite a few of you will nod sympathetically if I told you I have abandoned other creative pursuits for the sake of pearls.

I am having so much fun getting to know you via your profiles. Apologies for lying low under the radar for so long (2 years); I've come crawling out of the woodwork now that my attempts have morphed into something credible to share with all you erudite pearl scholars and artisans.

I have more, a lot more, in fact, to share but just give me a while to get the hang of pearl photography first. My attempts have been so crude it's embarrassing!

 

[mausketeer]

We LOVE photos Adeline! And I don't think I'm just speaking for myself when I say, and ALL gemstones and jewelry, not just pearls! I was on a diamond forum for quite a while (learned a fair bit about diamonds - enough to be dangerous as they say!) but of course, that's an EXPENSIVE hobby - pearls have such a wide range........ much more affordable (well, for SOME of them...... if I wasn't on here I would have NEVER heard of Sea of Cortez pearls! Thanks a LOT you guys! lol)

- Jodie -