My pearl vendor knows I like baroque pearls and she sent me these tadpole-looking pearls to look at. Can anyone give me any information about them? I seem to recall reading an article somewhere about firetail pearls, but now I can't find it to see if these are firetails. And does anyone know about their value? They are 10-11 mm. Thank you!

Hi Sleight,

They look like bead-nucleated freshwater cultured pearls. If the tail is more fanned out they are called fireballs.

Zeide

Fireballs not tails, that's why I couldn't find the article! Thank you! But since you don't think these are fireballs, do you have any idea how much these are worth?

Hi Sleight,

Not really, the market value in China is often significantly different from the market value in the rest of the world and it is not always cheaper. China has a vast domestic market and if a particular style is popular, they just stay in the country. In general, though, the nucleated freshwater cultured pearls cost more than the tissue-only nucleated ones unless the TONCPs are bigger than 9mm. With the 9-12mm size range being the most sought after in China, you will see fewer of them going to the international market and at ever increasing prices.

Zeide

What crazy colors! Shape or no shape... the dark rainbow ones look straight surreal. Is that natural color? If so, could they possibly be ... err... more convex and still have a skin like that?

Sorry for just piling the questions up instead of any answers. I've never seen that shape on sale at all, expect in less expensive saltwater baroque pearls.

They are very peacock, definitely color-treated. And the shape is really just like a tadpole - a round "head" with a flatter "tail" coming out of one side. They're very interesting, but I'm conflicted about keeping them or sending them back.

Sleignt,

What do youplan on doing with them???? Jewelry? or as a conversation piece? would you really use them at all????

Just some Q's to think about to help ypu decide if you wnat to keep them or not...

Hope it helps

Ash

[jshepherd]

If you receive Modern Jeweler check your June issue. We provided the bead nucleated strand that was shot for the front photo of the article. I just did a search for it and found the article, but the picture is not online. I was interviewed along with Fuji Voll for the article.
http://archives.modernjeweler.com/pu...?pubId=1&id=95

This is fortuitous. I was just looking through a list of websites at a back of a book that arrived from amazon today about making pearl jewelry and at 'a grain of sands.com' I came across these so called OKOYA pearls.
http://www.agrainofsand.com/Beads-Wh...Pearls-59.html
Of course I immediately flicked over to the pearl guide to do a search for the term and I find this thread about firetail pearls which to me look very similiar..
So I have a couple of questions as well that I hope you can answer .
What are so called OKOYA pearls?
Are they shell nucleated?
Can you get these OKOYA/firetail pearls without the bead and if so - how big without the bead?

Susan

[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

Originally Posted by Susan

...
What are so called OKOYA pearls?...

I think this was a misprint in the book. Possibly they were meaning to print "Akoya"?

No no not in the book on the website see the photo contained in the link.

http://www.agrainofsand.com/Beads-Wh...Pearls-59.html

[Pearls_by_Angela_Carol]

Has to be a mistype. I have heard more than one time of the people on QVC selling "Okoya" pearls. Probably just becuase of how some people pronounce it - 'Uh-coy-ya' for those of us down south

Dear Sleight:

The picture shows that is a Chinese Freshwater Baroque, so far they are pretty expensive in the market. The reason why you don't see much of these pearls out there is because of the limitation in material and the price.

The size that you have is about 10X15mm?. Prices are running around $ 300.00 per strand (retail). At this moment, the designers in Europe are starting to use these but it seems to be a little bit hard since they can't have enough quantity to produce them.

I saw the other link that Susan Posted, those are not the same as the ones you have in the picture. They are Salt Water AKOYA Pearls in baroque shape, their sizes is aboutr 7-9mm available, price is innexpensive.

I hope this can help you choose either keep them or send them back.

Enjoy them!

[jshepherd]

I disagree. Both of the photos are of freshwater pearls. The link Susan posted with the name Okoya is freshwater without question. Baroque Akoya look very different.

There is one other point to make on both pictures. They are not simply baroque freshwater, they are bead-nucleated freshwater pearls, nucleated with the same shell Chinese Akoya are nucleated with (not rounded pearls as some claim).

Thanks Jeremy

Couple more questions.
Can you get freshwater Baroques in this Okoya/fireball shape without the bead?

If so how big?

If not are we perhaps talking about baroque shapes in tissue nucleated freshwater (like Zeide's flintstone necklace) being common and large say 12mm upwards and numerous or not?

I personally love the idea of a necklace in these fireball freshwater pearls in a large size- but would prefer them not to have the shell nucleous if at all possible.

Susan

Susan