[Caitlin]

Hi Zeide
I think I provided examples of your 2 grades of facetting.

I actually like some of the ones from coolbead.com- but it is the metal vapor deposited iridescence I like even more than the facetting. This has got to be the future for many lackluster FW pearls.....just add the vapor metal deposition of your choice and whamo! Fabulized pearls!.

Until you mentioned it on this forum, I never saw a hint anywhere that metal vapor desposition was being used to enhance pearls. Though I have a labradorite and have seen other stones that have it. Now I see the "silver" in SSP and akoyas and I dare say the Tahitians that got educated in Japan acquired their "polish" from just such treatments. Is there anyway to tell if Tahitians have been fabulized?

Wouldn't you want to lacquer the pearls afterwards to protect the metal vapor deposits?

(I am thinking really fine quality clear lacquer as used on fine stringed instruments, only updated by Monsanto or Dow or whomever.... or of course, really cheap lacquer on the miserable ones.)