| I have a Tahitian in my desk that I drilled for an invisible clasp setting but after drilling the hole I stopped and decided to keep the pearl. The nacre was between 3 and 4 mm. It came from a lot in Hong Kong. The pearl is impossibly rare, however, as it basically means that the pearl went through the equivalent of 2 growth cycles - the farmer screwed up.
No, there is no difference in quality when dealing in loose pearls. Sometimes there can be a difference in the strands. This is because many companies in Asia will process the pearls with heat, color, or coating treatments. These processes are not routinely disclosed either. The buyers have to know what to look for. |