Hi Slraep,

Overtone is the result of absorbed light, mirror is the result of reflected light, and orient is the result of refracted light. In your standard cultured pearls, you typically have only one or at best two of these properties but orient is hardly ever one of them. I am glad you appreciate your object lesson in water, mirror, and orient. You really must have seen pearls that are absolutely untreated while simultaneously being of high quality to fully appreciate what the old masters were so keen about. My standard for pearl earrings is that if Vermeer saw them he would have wanted to paint them.

Zeide