Vietnamese Blue Akoya Pearls

[tahitiangirl]

Hi everyone. I am in the process of buying my first strand of akoya pearls, a blue strand from Vietnam. I love and have collected pearls for a long time and have avoided akoyas because of my concerns about nacre thickness.

However, I adore the blue color of the Vietnamese akoyas and want a strand for myself. Do the Vietnamese blue akoyas generally have thicker nacre than other types of akoya pearls?

Thank you!

 

[BWeaves]

Hi everyone. I am in the process of buying my first strand of akoya pearls, a blue strand from Vietnam. I love and have collected pearls for a long time and have avoided akoyas because of my concerns about nacre thickness.

However, I adore the blue color of the Vietnamese akoyas and want a strand for myself. Do the Vietnamese blue akoyas generally have thicker nacre than other types of akoya pearls?

Thank you!

I have regular white akoyas, some of them 60 years old and they're still going strong. I have other white akoyas with thinner nacre that wore out. I have blue akoyas and I love them, but I've only owned them a couple of years.

I would say any baroque akoyas (white or blue) will have thicker nacre than rounds. But Madamas, which are like blue Hanadamas will also have a decent thickness of nacre.

 

[pattye]

Tahitiangirl,

That's an exciting purchase! Yes, it's my understanding that the nacre is thicker. Pictures when it happens, please!

 

[nnguye20]

I heard pearls in warm water have thicker nacre? Also if you buy from reputable vendors the pearls should have decent nacre thickness?
BTW, as a Vietnamese, I am ashamed to say that I had never seen or heard about blue akoya until I found this foreign forum. I even tried look up Vietnamese websites about pearls but I havent found any information

 

[jshepherd]

The nacre thickness can definitely vary. It's easiest to gauge thickness with a baroque strand.

The colors you see don't come from the color of the nacre. They come from staining on the nucleus that happens sometimes with a somewhat botched nucleation. The staining is a brownish color, but it reflects through thick nacre in a sort of silver to blue hue. If the nacre is thin, the color is tan to a light brown.

 

[mrsadm]

Thank you Jeremy, for such interesting information on blue akoyas! I always learn so much from this forum....
Linda

 

[Katbran]

Thanks for that information Jeremy . I was under the impression that the Vietnamese Akoya had a thicker nacre when left for the same length of time as the Japanese pearls because it formed more quickly ? lol I have no idea where that notion came from !

 

[BWeaves]

So where does the pistachio color come from in akoyas? I think I read somewhere (Strack?) that pearls were originally more greenish yellow and were bred for a whiter look, but still had to be bleached.

 

[Katbran]

There is also the Green cast to WSS and I've see some that were almost a pale green - it was the body colour- that were marketed at Pistachio. I wondered as well BWeaves .. is the green from a similar origin as the blue.

 

[BlackPearlDudeDC]

This is a project for a Client (Cees supplied the Vietnamese pearls). Rhodolite Garnets and Cultured Blue Vietnamese Akoyas. (The extra Pearls are off to Sheri for a BPD vanity project).

 

[BWeaves]

OOOOOO, I can't wait to see the results. Blue pearls and garnets. Two of my favorite gems.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I just love blue and pink together. This is going to be a beauty!

 

[CathyKeshi]

Oh I can't wait to see that vanity project ... beautiful choices Black Pearl Dude DC

 

[amti]

How long will it take to get your finished piece back? Sounds very creative and beautiful!

 

[Cees]

Here you can see the bead and how nacre can grow in a same period of Vietnamese Akoya pearls

 

[BWeaves]

Wow that's thick.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Great photo Cees! What sizes are the nucleus and resulting pearl?

 

[Cees]

Sarah, Kaku size 9 is 9 Rin = 9 x 3.03 = 2.727 mm.
So on a 6 mm pearl 80 % is pearl and 20 % is kaku 70-80 % kaku area

 

[JerseyPearl]

Wow, that's amazing Cees!

 

[pattye]

Cees,

How remarkable and desirable! Thank you for the "inside" information!