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 Post subject: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2011 1:02 pm 
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Asking all of you pearl experts out there. Can anyone of you describe what we are seeing in the image below?
There is some kind of damage and under the nacre layer seems to be a strange kind of porous structure reminiscent of what I have seen in cavities in calcified fossils.

The pearl is a 10.8 mm cultured pink fresh water pearl.
Image

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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2011 1:32 pm 
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My gemmo friend showed similar Chinese fresh water pearls to me couple of years ago. He had sawed one just to see inside. It was all of it! Talk about quality :evil:

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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2011 1:41 pm 
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It does look pretty infected!


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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2011 1:44 pm 
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darn, i had a discussion about that with a pearl guru a couple of months ago but really can't remember...... :oops: :smt017 :smt013 :smt013 ......it was something about the nucleus of the chinese freshwater............duh.........

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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2011 2:09 pm 
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hi Conny Forsberg

Freahwater pearls are cultivated using a Non-Nucleated Cultivation procedure, in other words no "bead" is inserted into the oyster, Only mantle peices are used:

Quote:
During the implantation process, only mantle tissue is inserted into the mussel. In contrast to saltwater oysters, these mussels can produce 10 or more pearls at once by inserting the required number of mantle tissues.


Since organic material is used it deteriorates as the nacre is laid down. So what you are seeing is the remenant of the mantle piece that was used to start the pearl.

Hope this helps

George

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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2011 3:05 pm 
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George Sharen wrote:
Freahwater pearls are cultivated using a Non-Nucleated Cultivation procedure, in other words no "bead" is inserted into the oyster, Only mantle peices are used


those techniques are in continue evolution, for what i know about non-nucleated chinese freshwater, the epithelium of a donor oyster (which resemble a thin tissue) is cutted in small squares of 3-4 mm side. The little squares are picked by an angle with a specific tool then with a rotating fast movement turned into tiny spheres and implanted in the oyester. this substitute the sand grain of the natural counterpart but, for what i recall that little epithelium sphere is very small compared to the pearl obtained......it seems from Conny's picture that substance is just under the nacre..... :roll:

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During the implantation process, only mantle tissue is inserted into the mussel. In contrast to saltwater oysters, these mussels can produce 10 or more pearls at once by inserting the required number of mantle tissues.


if i recall well the Hiripsis cumingii (spell?) can be implanted with more than 20 nucleus at once.

ciao
alberto

ps: i'm not a fan or expert of organig gems, about pearl i would have a look HERE

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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2011 5:54 pm 
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Hehe, been there but has had no luck in registering an account :)
Regarding the "grain of sand" I thought it had been ruled out looong time ago...

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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Sun May 29, 2011 6:02 pm 
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Conny Forsberg wrote:
Hehe, been there but has had no luck in registering an account :)


hehe, u could always surf the forum searching for topics...

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Regarding the "grain of sand" I thought it had been ruled out looong time ago...


weelllll, not completely. For what i know there's a niche but serious market for naturals too nowadays, maybe strong enough to convince SSEF, GIA and maybe few others to purchase a C.A.T. especially for pearls..... :wink:
ciao
albé

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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2011 2:24 am 
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I'm aware of all that Albé :)
I was only referring to "the grain of sand". More often a parasite I suspect than to have a grain of sand embed enough to start producing a pearl sac...

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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:43 pm 
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Well...this is another old topic that has grabbed my attention...

Is the pearl a baroque pearl? Is the "wound" shown on the picture the drilled hole of the pearl? If it is the drilled hole on a baroque freshwater pearl, it may be related to the story below...

Anyway, in Chinese freshwater pearl culturing industry, people have improved a technique that enables the industry to produce huge freshwater pearls. The recipe is to use dried mud balls as the "nucleus" instead of using shell beads.....When a mud ball is inserted into the pearl sac of a mussel upon harvest of the normal (traditional) freshwater pearl(s), the irritated creature will secret layer after layer of nacre to cover the "irritant". However, the inserted mud ball is already dissolved by then, creating an empty space for nacre secretion, resulting in 100% nacre covered pearl with a hollow core. However, the pearls produced in this manner are mostly baroque shapes as they are not formed with a hard spherical nucleus. Such pearls are called "Souffle Pearls". Upon harvest, the pearls are drilled to wash away the trapped mud....and according to the farmers....the smell is beyond disgusting! After the washing, the stint's gone, leaving only a bunch of (usually) large, beautiful, much lighter in weight baroque pearls with amazing luster and light color play. BUT who knows, maybe one or two unlucky pearls didn't get a complete shower during the process before being marketed.....

Can I know the final answer for this pearl mystery?

Thanks.

WClee


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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:20 am 
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It is not the drilled hole. It is a damage or growth defect.

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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:25 am 
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#-o I wished I knew more about pearls....sigh! :roll:


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 Post subject: Re: Strange porous inside in pearl
PostPosted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 2:13 pm 
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Conny, is this one of the Chinese "kasumi-like" freshwater pearls? Some call them "furrow pearls."

Many of the pictures of them seem to have holes and recesses.
This looks like the holes might resemble yours - Click here
Here's another -Click here

The "flame balls" seem to have more holes and deep recesses.

They are nucleated.

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