What happened to these pearls?

[lilliefuzzysocks]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/230835329263?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
I have never seen anything like this before.

 

[Amanda]

Looks as if they caught pearl-smallpox!

They're horrible.

 

[pattye]

Agree, awful! Soak them off the backings and reuse the 14k gold findings. That would be the only value I could see.

 

[Ash]

Looks like hairspray maybe??? Or they are coated and not well. Pattye, love the Idea reuse the backs.

Cheers
Ash

 

[KarinK]

Oh no, those poor little guys!

It says they're dyed. Maybe just a really poor job? Though I wonder why the have different colours if they're dyed. Looks more than badly mistreated Tahitians.

- Karin

 

[pearlescence]

looks like they ran out of rinse aid!
seriously, not a good match for a pair and indeed a very strange flaw, never seen that before
odd to put such duff pearls onto gold findings

 

[Adeline Leigh]

Smallpox, hairspray, any more suspects?

I'm contributing two pics of a ring bought off ebay where the tahitian focal also suffers from this mysterious mottled spots. I did ask once before here if anyone had any clues too... It hurts to see such pearls so badly mistreated.

I've tried cleaning, and even oiling, the pearl but nothing works its replacement is on its way.

 

[PARAS BHAKTI PEARL CO]

This thing happens when during processing if you don't control the heat properly the surface skin gets burnt and it gets highlighted when they are bleached or dyed. And in severe cases
pearl develops cracks.

 

[jshepherd]

Agreed. The pearls weren't properly treated. They were dyed and heat treated, and the heat treatment wasn't professionally done. The pearls were "burnt" in a way.

 

[Amrita]

That sounds terrible. Poor pearls.

 

[dkan 168]

Way overpriced for what they are worth, IMHO.

DK

 

[Amanda]

Adeline, that's a lovely setting, absolutely gorgeous. What pearl are you going to use instead of the damaged one?

 

[lisa c]

Hi guys, remember to look at the top of the page, and rate the thread. This is an excellent education, facts and illustrations! Thanks, all of you involved in this thread!

Are these things included in The Pearl certification part of GIA course?

 

[Adeline Leigh]

Hi Amanda, I got this ring new green blue tahitians to go with the gem setting

I asked about the ring in a previous thread (Post #1). https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5667&page=2&highlight=vintage+pearl+rings
What struck me then was if it was such a well-loved ring that the previous owner had cared enough to have the shank replaced with that contraption to accommodate swollen finger joints, then what caused such damage to the pearl focal? If you see in the pictures on that thread, there's a deep scratch on the pearls as well. Lesson that we should all note about storing our pearls properly.

Parash and Jeremy's answers are certainly enlightening. Thanks! But it does make me worried for some of my pearls. In years to come after treatment and over zealous processing, will our tahitians mounted or otherwise revel their true "burnt" colours?

 

[lisa c]

Why would any Tahitian be "processed" with heat?

What purpose does heating serve? To improve surface luster

Are all pearls heated as part of processing, or only pearls meant to be dyed?

Also, about 12 years ago I bought some mauve-pink pearls which I didn't wear until very recently. I've worn them often over the last 6 weeks, and wipe them with a damp cloth after each wearing.

1) I noticed that the dye is wearing off. That's fine with me, the necklace is turning into a lovely multi shade pinky-mauve, and looks better, has more depth and glow, although more surface blemishes show now, but not too many. Aren't I lucky?!? There's even a blue-ish pearl in the mix!
2) they're sticky when wiped with a damp cloth. ( I don't wear face makeup, or lotions, or sunscreen, or perfume anywhere on my neck or torso, or use hairspray - none of the usual suspects near my pretties)

My questions are:
Has the dyeing process changed over the recent years? or

Will all of the dyed pearls eventually revert to their natural color?

Why do these dyed pearls feel sticky after wiping with water? They don't feel sticky when they're fully dry. I think it's the dye, but what is the compound that becomes sticky?

Thanks!
I'm trying to go back and answer using what info is available on PG.

 

[GemGeek]

I've only seen that type of coating done on inexpensive freshwaters. As for the ring, I am still wildly jealous! I can't wait to see photos of the restored ring.

 

[lisa c]

I've only seen that type of coating done on inexpensive freshwaters. )

So GG, do you mean to say dye processA is used for inexpensive freshwaters, and processB or C, etc is used for expensive pearls, for instance?

I've got to be missing something here if that isn't true, because if I bought an expensive GSS pearl and it got sticky when wiped, and faded, I'd raise the roof. Same with Tahitians. Wouldn't high-end purchasers (I'm not in that bracket, yet) raise hell?

 

[PARAS BHAKTI PEARL CO]

yes, usually dyeing is done on inexpensive pearls , but not always true.
What, do you feel about these pearls ?

 

[lisa c]

Paresh, they're lovely! Are they heat treated as part of maeshori?

 

[Katbran]

Paresh, they look lovely in the photo - are the surfaces as nice close up?