There was a time when people were suspicious of the amazing colors coming from cultured freshwater pearls. There were rumors of something being seeded in the water, or dye being injected into mussels. The conjecture about treatment in the shell was dead wrong - it was the shell itself that initiated the change.*
The shells were adapted from a hybrid of Hyriopsis schlegeli, Biwa Pearly Mussel and Hyriopsis cumingi, Triangle Shell Mussel. Through dedicated experimentation, we now see colors that were previously not seen without treatment.
This photo of a freshly-opened shell and pearl was taken by Jeremy Shepherd at a cutting-edge Chinese freshwater pearl farm.
In the photo above, you can see the dramatic color along the outer part of the shell. You can also see that the shell is very large and shows attached beaded pearls from previous grafts. The first graft is usually only a mantle tissue nucleation, but successive implantations are made by putting a bead into the existing nacre pocket. Eventually, the shell grows large enough to accept huge beads for fireball pearls, or dried material to form Soufflé pearls. Or they can be left without a bead to form a large solid-nacre baroque cultured pearl.
In the photo below, you can see the extreme in natural color in the finest Edison pearls.
To learn more about cultured freshwater pearls and discuss them with others, join the Pearl-Guide.com forum.
* Shell is used in the pearl-farming world to represent the animal, in this case, a mussel.
Blaire Beavers
Managing Editor
Pearl Guide News
The shells were adapted from a hybrid of Hyriopsis schlegeli, Biwa Pearly Mussel and Hyriopsis cumingi, Triangle Shell Mussel. Through dedicated experimentation, we now see colors that were previously not seen without treatment.
This photo of a freshly-opened shell and pearl was taken by Jeremy Shepherd at a cutting-edge Chinese freshwater pearl farm.
In the photo above, you can see the dramatic color along the outer part of the shell. You can also see that the shell is very large and shows attached beaded pearls from previous grafts. The first graft is usually only a mantle tissue nucleation, but successive implantations are made by putting a bead into the existing nacre pocket. Eventually, the shell grows large enough to accept huge beads for fireball pearls, or dried material to form Soufflé pearls. Or they can be left without a bead to form a large solid-nacre baroque cultured pearl.
In the photo below, you can see the extreme in natural color in the finest Edison pearls.
To learn more about cultured freshwater pearls and discuss them with others, join the Pearl-Guide.com forum.
* Shell is used in the pearl-farming world to represent the animal, in this case, a mussel.
Blaire Beavers
Managing Editor
Pearl Guide News
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