souffle pearls

[ericw]

Hi everybody
I have the feeling that, often, FWP are viewed with less favour than saltwater pearls. I don't know why for a lot of them, which show so good qualities, especially baroque shapes. Thinking about that, I have a question: unless I'm mistaken, suffle pearls are only produced by freshwater mussels, aren't they?

 

[Pareltje]

Soufflé pearls are currently produced by freshwater mussels and Pinctada margaritifera oysters. There are Tahitian soufflé pearls for sale already, Jeremy has those.

 

[ericw]

Thank you Pareltje, I didn't know that this process worked also with oysters! Thus tahitian soufflé pearls are not so dark coloured than common other STP, do you know why?

 

[Pareltje]

Eric, I think Tahitian soufflés have dark body colors too. The ones I saw were dark.

 

[ericw]

I have not yet seen them, just blue tones or iridescent colours, so much brightening. I am curious about the effect of gaz to make a look so shining, more than many other pearls produced around solid beads.

 

[Pareltje]

Eric, there are a few pics of Tahitian soufflés https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/s...p-to-PP-for-Giant-Goldens&highlight=Huge+gssp

 

[ericw]

Pareltje, thank you for this sharing. I had never seen this kind of pearls before. Strange pearls and tone, more natural graphite stone colour than usual STP dark, sure better to view in truth than on photos. They are more angular than soufflé FWP, a little as katsumi VS standart pearls. I should so much want to understand how it works to produce some colour or an other, and everythings building a pearl!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

The new Tahitian soufflé pearls...are they provoked baroques? Or do they have a mud nucleus?
As I recall the provoked baroques were dark in color.

https://www.pearlparadise.com/blogs...-baroques-a-new-tahitian-pearl-on-the-horizon

 

[ericw]

These pearls don't look like provoked baroques seen on your link, Pearl Dreams, but also don't look like usual soufflés. In each case, expansion of a special kind of bead (gas or swelling of a absorbant material) seems to give, first, smooth shape pearls, unlike the last.

 

[GemGeek]

Those are provoked baroques in the link. They come in all colors. You occasionally get dimples that make them look like Raisinettes - chocolate covered raisins, but they come in all varieties. The pearl sac is expanded quickly so the beaded pearl that comes will have first graft nacre quality.

 

[ericw]

Thanks for this clarification, GemGeek. but is it because the oyster must produce its nacre quickly, to make it so perfect? First mind would be to believe that fine nacre takes more time to be built. I don't understand also how first nacre layers can follow the beads' expansion, it's not a flexible material! Maybe the mollusc begins to produce it only after expansion, These pearls are a great mystery for me.

 

[GemGeek]

First growth Tahitian pearls have better color and luster. This is not a factor with newer hybrid freshwater mussels which can produce amazing nacre after multiple cycles.

 

[ericw]

GemGeek, this capacity of hybrid mussels to produce amazing nacre soufflés remind that making metallic tones katsumis. Is there existing any scientific studies (maybe in frensh, I may dream) about oysters an mussels biological mechanism to produce nacre?

 

[Pareltje]

eric, maybe these links can help you a little bit? They're in French. https://www.gemperles.com/perliculture-marine
And this one is about freshwater pearl https://www.gemperles.com/perles-eau-douce-1 and this http://www.atolls-polynesie.ird.fr/resatoll/perlicul/fabperle/grefhuit.htm
https://vulgariz.com/sciences/biologie-moleculaire/la-biologie-de-la-formation-des-perles/
I haven't found more info in French. Maybe you can take Pearls As One course once it's available in French.

 

[ericw]

Thank you Pareltje for these links (so kind of you to find some in frensh ). The last is the nearest of which interest me. It seems that, in fact, science don't yet know many things about this phenomenon! Still it's always difficult to imagine pearl response to an expansive bead.

 

[jshepherd]

I haven't blogged about the Tahitian souffle yet, but here is a photo of Hisano wearing one in Tahiti.

We happened upon one lot at the Hong Kong show in September. A farmer had been holding them before they could be exported and tried to sell them at the show. His asking price was very high and he only wanted to sell the lot without selection - some were nice others not. I don't remember exactly how much he wanted for the lot, but it was somewhere between $70,000 and $80,000. I don't think he sold it.

 

[jshepherd]

This is a close up shot of the strand she is wearing.

 

[ericw]

Jeremy, thank you to have corrected the title of my thread I hadn't understood that the usual name to call these pearls was frensh origin.
Hisano must be especially interested for tracking these new technological developments, but looking at the price of first pieces, not yet common using. I have read your blog about this kind of new expansive bead, absorbing liquids to do... I should be curious to know if water pearl gel have been tried. They are, first, very small spherical pieces of hydrogel polymers becoming quickly big perfect round pearls, bathing in water (A bit smaller in saltwater), without any chemical dangers, theorically. If I was pearl farmer, I think I should sleep with my oysters, to make so many experiences.

 

[newberry]

My Tahitian souffle strand that I got when I visited Pearl Paradise last month

 

[pattye]

Wow, exceptional luster and lots of character, both the pearls and the wearer! That's our Newberry!