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"One of the arguments for nucleation with other pearls is that many of the Chinese big rounds have intermittent conchiolin layers. However, depending on how large a pearl grows, this will sooner or later happen naturally even if there is no renucleation involved." Quote from Zeide.
Hi Zeide, Jeremy & All,
Nucleation with pearls, especially if tissue cultivated FW pearls, seems to me to be a good way to cultivate SW pearls, at least all of the pearl then would be nacre or very nearly so. Is this a widely held view or only one held by a few and if so do you think it would be preferable and even desirable to beading with shell products or glass beads?
I do realise that as Jeremy pointed out that most people do want round pearls and that tissue cultivation may hamper this end but with a genuine pearl nucleation this would still give the desired shape although maybe raising the costs of pearls in general. Perfectly round pearls are beautiful although I like natures way of doing things and love the irregular shapes too.
Jeremy, thank you for your info on the Chinese Kasumi look-a-likes but if this is so then I don't see how they can be considered inferior to genuine kasumi. I have seen quite a few round white either kasumi or the Chinese equivalent. Short of smashing one to see what is inside and that I cannot do to those beauties there seems to be no way to tell the two types apart. And the white swirling beauties are supposed to be very, very rare. Gets more confusing all the time. I really dislike not know what a pearl really is and it is virtually impossible to get a straight answer from any Chinese seller and for that matter most other sellers.
Thank you in advance, Bodecia
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