Tahitian blemish advice...

[maiakity]

I just in the past week bought my first tahitians (pair leverback earrings and solitare necklace) and overall I am very pleased. The color and luster is BEAUTIFUL, they look like nothing else I have every worn or seen! However, I have a question about the blemishes on one of the earrings. I bought baroque, circled tahitian earrings, and overall there are less blemishes and rings than I was expecting, the earrings are actually fairly smooth. However, there are three fairly significant blemishes on the back of one of the earrings that don't look like I expected blemishes on a tahitian pearl to look. The color of the earrings are a dark charcoal grey with beautiful overtones of purple, silver, and some dark green, but there are three spots on the pearl that are completely devoid of any color or lustre, they are just a flat beige color. I'm wondering if these are some spots on the pearl where no nacre was deposited and the center bead is showing through? I thought I read somewhere that the nacre had to be a minimum thickness for the pearls to be cleared for export, does that mean they have to be a minimum thickness all over the pearl, or just in one spot and it can be thinner elsewhere? I'm not too bothered by the spots, especially because they are on the back of the earring (although you can see them when I wear my hair up from the back), but I'm wondering what this means for the longevity of the pearl, would it be more likely to chip or peel in the future? I will try to attach some pics of what I'm referring to, but it was hard to get a good shot because of the shininess and luster of the pearls! TIA for any input

First pic: one spot on the upper left near my thumb, and two spots (one right above the other) on the upper right near my finger:

Second pic: tried to get a better pic of the bigger spot below the bail on the left near my index finger:

 

[GemGeek]

They look great to me. With pearls, you're going to have to accept some blemishes unless you buy the higher grade pearls and pay more. I'm guessing that you will stop noticing them after a few days and I doubt anyone will notice them when the earrings are bobbing seductively on your earlobes. The overall impression is gorgeous.

 

[waimeamomi]

Hard to see in the pics. I agree with Blaire, but also make sure it's not glue!

 

[maiakity]

Thanks for the responses! I emailed the company I bought them from and they indicated that as well, just regular blemishes and not "bare spots"...I really apprecaite the confirmation of this! As I said, I am not really bothered by the look of the blemishes, the luster is so high it's hard to see them in most lights even when you are looking, but I was worried if they WERE bare spots they might peel or chip. I really love the earrings (and the matching necklace is just gorgeous too!) and want to be able to enjoy them for a long time. I was fully expecting them to have some blemishes (in fact, more than they actually do have, the other earring is practically blemish free!), but I've never seen tahitian blemishes in person and wasn't aware that they could have "blank" spots like these. The color of these earrings are so beautiful the pictures really don't do them justice, they are amazing! Thanks again for the reassurance!

 

[Josh]

If those Tahitians are legitimately exported which I assume they are, they have around a full millimeter of nacre on the nucleus. That's really thick, especially when compared with Japanese Akoyas. Blemishes are normal in most Tahitian pearls. It looks to me like you have some really lustrous, colorful beauties to be proud of so enjoy them!

 

[maiakity]

Thanks again for the reassurance! I really, really do love them (so much in fact that I just ordered a bracelet too...my bank account isn't loving me right now!). I've never seen tahitian pearls in person and I'm almost shocked at just how much pictures cannot do the beauty of them justice. The colors and luster are just so striking in person! Here are a few pics of the matching necklace, of course more beautiful in real life

I think I'm going to be getting a lot of wear out of these this summer!!!