"Souffle' Pearls"

[pattye]

Hi Ben,

Are these pearls drilled? And if not, do you drill at customers' request? Who cleans out the mud? lol The photos are great; they are beautiful pearls!
Are they still being sold by weight?

 

[jshepherd]

They are only sold by weight by the producer. It is sort of a pain to get the gunk out. I cleaned out Cynde's and Blaire's with a small drill bit. I think the best way would be to soak the pearls and shake them in a bath really well. It's a lot easier with pearls drilled completely through.

 

[Marianne]

I've had a few strands of "fresh" (aka UN-fresh fish smelling) keshis that came clean after a 15 min soak in H2O2. For the persistent ones I used an insulin syringe and to irrigate inside the pearl with H2O2 and blast out the organic nasties. Rinsed them well in fresh water. This did not seem to change the luster at all
Good luck!
Marianne

 

[LBoone]

When I was a child, my Mother decorated "permanent" E whilaster eggs, they were raw eggs from which the contents had been removed while leaving the shell intact. This was done by making a small hole with a needle at each end of the egg and "blowing" out the contents. (Don't laugh, that is what we did!!!!) I looked for this technique on the internet because it seems to me it might work to get out the gunk. Apparently folks are a lot more sophisticated now than we were back then, seems that using ear syringes, straws, bicycle pump with basketball adapter, etc., are all in use now.

This might be a faster way to get out the gunk....

 

[Hanaleimom]

Ben, the pairs in 3rd picture, post # 99, are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Hanaleimom]

Anyone receives souffle strands yet? Please post pictures. TIA.

 

[Bodecia]

Hi Wendy,

I don't see how one could without losing the integrity of the pearl. Surely the only way to use a half drill post would be to fill the pearl with something like pearl cement. I think you would need to use a eye pin that went all the way through the pearl.

I have some Souffle pearls and plan to use a eye pin to make some earrings.

Not much of a solution as far as a half drill post and of course, if it was filled with something like pearl cement one would have to disclose this to buyer. Not sure this would even work. I suppose it would but ...

Dawn - Bodecia
eBay Seller ID dawncee333 - natural pearl collector and all round pearl lover.

 

[pandaexpress]

Pics of Souffle

Pics of Souffle

My wife got these for Valentine's Day - I think I finally took her breath away! The pics don't really do them justice - I don't have the fancy set-up that the pros on this forum do. But I am so grateful Jeremy let us receive one of these from his limited supply. They are very shiny - almost akoya like. They are the shiniest freshwaters we have.

Gemgeek - thanks

 

[Heidi]

Stunning! I have distinct pearl envy - these are some of the most beautiful pearls I've ever seen. Good on ya' with the Valentine's gift!

 

[lisa c]

Ay, ay, ay! Gorgeous, and I think you did a fine job capturing some elusive color.

 

[pattye]

Oh, gorgeous! Great choice, pandaexpress!

 

[lisa c]

I've been thinking about how you'd incorporate a finding with the souffle pearls ever since I read about them, as many of you have I'm sure.

The best I've come up with is to take an eyepin and in a reverse form of wire wrapping, make a flat, wide spiral, twirl the spiral into the pearl up to the eye, then bend the eye. I think you've called it breaking the neck (or shoulder?); I'll have to check back to see who posted this neck/shoulder-breaking, for my memory has failed me.

Then maybe a little bead of fixant - glue, solder, whatever the experienced posters here think is best.

The spiral spreads the support over a wider area inside the top of the pearl, minimizing pinpoint-stress. I'd like to think that also minimizes the chance of fracturing the pearl as well, and the pearl shouldn't be likely to fall off should the entry hole enlarge.

If you want a bead cap to cover the mechanics, use plain wire and after forming and placing the spiral inside, form your own eye after placing the bead cap, I suppose. Course, this would only work with a dangle.

How could you mount one on a stud?
OK, I bet there's potential for patenting a new type of stud with a spiral instead of post for mounting the pearl; cup-and-spiral instead of cup-and-post. You read it here first! or, I wonder if it's already been done...I bet the Chinese have already got a patent in the works, since they've been working on the souffles since their inception.

 

[GemGeek]

You have chosen well.

 

[Hanaleimom]

It's a beautiful Valentine gift. You timed your visit well to coincide with Blaire's. I assume you received great advice.

 

[Caitlin]

My wife got these for Valentine's Day - I think I finally took her breath away! The pics don't really do them justice - I don't have the fancy set-up that the pros on this forum do. But I am so grateful Jeremy let us receive one of these from his limited supply. They are very shiny - almost akoya like. They are the shiniest freshwaters we have.

They have incredible luster!

 

[Seabourn Pearls]

I'm not a jeweler and we do almost no design work. But for undrilled souffle studs we use adhesives.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I've been thinking about how you'd incorporate a finding with the souffle pearls ever since I read about them, as many of you have I'm sure.

The best I've come up with is to take an eyepin and in a reverse form of wire wrapping, make a flat, wide spiral, twirl the spiral into the pearl up to the eye, then bend the eye. I think you've called it breaking the neck (or shoulder?); I'll have to check back to see who posted this neck/shoulder-breaking, for my memory has failed me.

Interesting idea, but I think it might place a lot of stress on the nacre at the edge of the drill hole if the spiral is flat or tight. Maybe a longer (not flat), looser spiral that could be fed in easily; what do you think?

 

[lisa c]

Yes, I think that's a good elaboration. Another thing to think about is what kind of wire is best, since it has to be strong enough to hold shape, but not too rigid; gold-filled, but what gauge? Course, someone posted on our site that the material didn't have to pull a truck, just hold a pearl.
I need to get going and get the materials to go from speculating to actual hands on experimenting. I'm sure that'd be more fun than just theorizing.

Some accomodation for the different inner surface of each pearl would/is going to be the norm with a spiral, since each will have an unknown hollow shape.

So, Ben what feedback do you have with the adhesive? What are you using? I realize that these pearls are new so there isn't a lot of data or feedback yet, but I'd like to know what you've experienced. I'm one for overkill re security, I know, since I hate losing anything. Also, I overthink everything and need hands on experience for balance.

 

[Caitlin]

At the show, someone at Seahunt (?) suggested filling them with resin. That would be lightweight, and strong and allow 1/2 drilling. How to get the resin inside the washed pearl might need some special tube or something; I can't quite imagine it.

 

[Seabourn Pearls]

We've been using two part epoxy. One woman sent a pair back because the backings came off. Like Ben Franklin's description of the Bald Eagle, she is a bird of dubious moral character so I'm not quite sure what to make of the failure. That exception aside we've had no problems.

Incidentally, I recently sent a matched pair of undrilled pearls off to a client who is having them made into a dangle. Not sure what her jeweler is doing but I'll post a pic when I get one.