| One caveat I'd like to point out. In general, naturally black Akoya are not marketed on the open market. I'd recommend extreme caution to anyone considering paying for black Akoya that are being sold as naturally black, especially, as Zeide pointed out, it can be very hard to prove either way.
One point of interest is that irradiation of an Akoya pearl burns the bead nucleus, turning it black, while dying permeates the nacre. Dying is the most prevalent treatment of the two. |