[Caitlin]

My quibbles with your latest statement are very minor, I feel very mollified except in saying "a matter of years". That is a general statement, not limited to "a couple of years", but they do wear out in a matter of years, rather than centuries, unlike the old natural pearls. I expect all CFWP will also last centuries, not decades, if properly cared for.

Iin fact I see we are in agreement about much- including the lavender freshadama pearls- my favorite too.

Learning about orient and water is such an important concept for pearl lovers and I learned it here.

[perlas]

Hi All,

I think there is nothing wrong with buying akoyas as long as the buyers know what they are getting. When we say "pearls", people don't expect a bead inside and are surprised to find out once the akoyas show signs of wear.

Before becoming a gem nut, I myself did not know that south seas have a bead inside! And I live in a country where south seas are cultured! People just don't expect a bead inside.

I've seen a lot of akoyas with nacre chipping off from sellers in my area. These akoyas are never worn, just displayed in glass cases. The akoyas are bought around mid '90s to early '00s (some even do have thick nacre!). I think that the problem with akoya is if it does not get enough moisture, the bead may tend to separate from the nacre, which subjects it to faster deterioration, so the akoya's deterioration process cannot be compared to that of their freshwater counterparts.

Just my 2c. There's a lot to learn simply by looking, and I'm just lucky enough to see a lot of pearls without buying them!

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by perlas

Before becoming a gem nut, I myself did not know that south seas have a bead inside! And I live in a country where south seas are cultured! People just don't expect a bead inside.

You are definitely not alone... On top of personal experience, it looks like the nucleation thing is really not 100% accepted anywhere: I was really surprised to read that many of the folks submitting pearls to get a lab report (AGTA) didn't expect to hear about the beads either, and those would likely be expensive pearls and informed jewelry owners (to want a lab report in the first place).

[Caitlin]

Perlas and Valeria

I think there is nothing wrong with buying akoyas as long as the buyers know what they are getting. When we say "pearls", people don't expect a bead inside and are surprised to find out once the akoyas show signs of wear

This was the dirty little secret of pearl cultivation for almost 100 years. It is also the reason that natural pearl buffs do NOT consider beaded pearls as pearls at all. Bahrain made such pearls illegal. Although other Gulf countries allow the beaded pearls, if you get into the history of the authentinc pearlmen of the Persian Gulf, including Bahrain, you soon find out that they are holding out for a return to "real" pearls!

As Zeide has said, a synthetic emerald with a coating of real emerald on the outside would not be considered an authentic gem by ANYONE!

Mikimoto was able to pull off this outrageous subterfuge beacuse the natural pearl industry virtually collapsed in the early 20th century due to overfishing and the industrial revolution and its new jobs.
He even had to devise a new pearl standard that did not refer to the old standards by which natural pearls were judged. This new standard put roundness and mirror at the top of requirements. I think the value of the beaded pearl industry is in masses of women being able to afford pearl-like objects that did visit in the oyster long enough to take on some nacre.

At least, at the beginning, Miki and Company put thickish layers on the beads. This is why my mo-in-law's pearls and her mother's pearls from the 20's and 30's lasted until my generation and were worn through by my kid's generation. Most of the mass market akoyas do not meet these standards of thickness today and will wear out sooner.

Of course we have also been trained in planned obsolescence and I have seen people posting here that say it is ok with them if pearls wear out regularly!

[WeeGem]

Here's a lame question, late in the day!

Where would I find cheap silk satchels, hopefully online? (I'm in the UK) I have several pearl necklaces (freshadama, tahitian baroque, GSS baroque) and pairs of earrings I'd like to store as I don't wear them all that often.

Thanks!

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Weegem,

Wendy from my-ebuy on eBay has them for little money and she is a dependable seller.

Zeide

[Caitlin]

Here is a place I got some silk pouches from recently.
https://shop.theliteracysite.com/sto...Search&index=1