Strange "cracks" on keshi pearls

[pattye]

This is a problem I haven't encountered before. Here are some large keshi pearls with surface "cracks" they don't appear to be related to drilling, at least at first glance. These are very pretty and large pearls, and I didn't notice this blemishing (on about 1/2 the pearls and only on one side) when I purchased. These are some of the most noticeable on the strand. Has anyone seen this before? What might cause this? Is it just a natural blemish?? Size on these is about 13 x 18mm.

Thanks!

 

[jshepherd]

Those certainly are cracks, not natural blemishes. It could be that the treatment made them brittle, or that they are hollow and were squeezed too hard in the drill setting.

 

[pattye]

Yes, you are soooo right, Jeremy! Another learning experience!
Even though I take my "3.5x readers" shopping with me, I missed on these. Thanks very much!

 

[jshepherd]

The outside is so beautiful and then we see the inside...

 

[SteveM]

Being absent of the bead it is always so tempting to assume that keshi are nothing but nacre. This article (pdf download) by Prof. H?nni at the Swiss Gemmological Institute does give a nice review of keshi formation in collapsed pearl sacs, the larger sizes more likely to be hollow.

Probably it would be more appropriate to sell/buy keshi by weight, like naturals.

 

[Ramona]

A very interesting article. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

 

[pattye]

Steve,

Thanks much for the link to article, very interesting and useful photos.

 

[olmander]

How interesting! I was just going to ask a question about it in the PG.

I got a very nice Tahitian keshi bracelet, which seems to be much lighter by weight that a similar bracelet with beaded Tahitians. I was thinking if the wight of the bead is essential here. But now I guess these are the empty spaces inside the keshis that make it lighter.

And the keshi bracelet was indeed sold with an indication of a weight in carats.

The article explains it quite nicely - thank you Steve

 

[jshepherd]

Some Tahitian keshi are hollow, but of course not all. When I am drilling them I always know when I hit a hollow one. It usually has some sort of powder inside that, try as you might, is difficult to completely remove.

Well, powder is the lucky find. Find one with liquid in it and you will remember it for a long time!

 

[olmander]

Well, powder is the lucky find. Find one with liquid in it and you will remember it for a long time!

Jeremy, why? Does the liquid stink? Or is it just leaking?

 

[pearlescence]

Some pearls smell like teeth being drilled when being drilled. Most don't. Do you know why the teeth ones smell of dentists, Jeremy (assuming that any American gets a drilling ever!)

 

[jshepherd]

Jeremy, why? Does the liquid stink? Or is it just leaking?

Stink isn't quite the way to describe it. There has to be a word a lot stronger than just stink! Think of a skunk, or a skunk with a cold!

 

[waimeamomi]

They smell like the most rotten ocean smell you can imagine. I have found that soaking them in a very mild peroxide and water mixture, described in another post somewhere, really does the job.

 

[lisa c]

I wonder, what if you could find some way to inject the peroxide into the bead, rather than soak the whole bead? Obviously I'm just thinking out loud; most people don't have access to needles, and obviously it doesn't hurt the pearl or you wouldn't be doing it.

I had some dirty old shells (just house dirt), so I let them soak a little in water prior to cleaning. Apparently one of the shells still had a body in it. Skunk on a bad day is right.

I'm so sorry for your disappointment. The colors are so pretty, too.

 

[knotty panda]

May I ask who the vendor is? They should have done a better job for you.

 

[Nerida]

May I ask who the vendor is? They should have done a better job for you.

yes, probably drilled by the original processors, but still should have taken care not to pass these on!

So sad that something so gorgeous on the outside looks so completely hideous inside!!

 

[pattye]

I am certain these pearls were not drilled by the vendor, and I would rather not say who it is, as I am sure they will make them right. I do check my pearls with 3.5x readers and often a loupe, and these cracks are the tiniest hairline fractures, and very inconspicuous on most of the pearls. (I picked out the worst ones to photograph.) Also only one side of the pearl is damaged, and about half of the pearls on the strand are fine. So all in all, quite easy to miss. I purchase a lot of keshi, and do examine them closely for white dull spots, crooked drilling, thread showing where it shouldn't, etc.

 

[CLICLASP]

There is one nice thing about hollow keshis, it's the way it sounds when you play with in hands

 

[lisa c]

Was the stuff inside the pearl hardened or loose?

 

[pattye]

Well, this pearl was hollow and dry. I didn't try to pick anything out. Not sure what proportion of keshi would have liquid in them.

Agree with you Cliclasp, I have a few strands of very large "fat" keshi, it's lovely to enjoy pearls with all our senses! (Except our nose when they are stinky!)