[Leigh]

Hi All

I have just found this pearl forum and think it is great. I am interested in abalone mable pearls from New Zealand and was looking to buy one until I was told that the nacre had a minimum thickness of 0.15 mm. That seemed way too thin even for a minimum thickness. Could the pearl experts here please advise me what they think. The prices are somewhat steep for pearls with such mimimal nacre. Lustre relates to the amount of nacre so am I to assume that they don't have much lustre...your thoughts would be appreciated.

Leigh

[jerin]

Hi Leigh and welcome,

this question can be answered by an expert on blisters and mabe, namely J Marcus. I am sure he will see this post and answer it.

[smetzler]

While waiting for word from hands-on experts, here is a quote from a reprinted article at KariPearls.com regarding the commercial practices at Eyris Blue Pearls:

by Pam Hutchins FGAA
Wide Bay Valuation Services, Bundaberg

Blisters that attain the required thickness 0.3mm and over will be manufactured into and marketed as Eyris Blue Pearls™. In contrast, blisters having nacre of less than 0.3mm thickness will be manufactured and marketed Pacific Blue Pearls.

It would be interesting to know how this compares with nacre thickness in quality mabés from pearl oysters.

[J Marcus]

My! Thank you for your vote of confidence, Jerin. I'm not so sure that I'm an expert although I have spent a good deal of time trying to educate myself on the subject. I feel that I have a "good working knowledge" of the subject. I just took my caliphers and checked to see what .15mm looks like. It's pretty thin! Part of the answer is going to have to do with the resiliancy of the resin fill that they use in their Mabe's. I've read Eyris' account of their process on their website and it seems they use a "clear" plastic resin, but I don't think they say just how hard it is. If it is very soft or compressible at all then that would worry me. I don't think that abalone that thin, tough as NASA says it is, will take much in the way of flexing. I'm thinking that they (Eyris) probably know that, though. The other concern would be wear. Nacre is not very hard and it can be worn away by abrasion and is also is subject to chemical erosion, over time, from even rather low grade acids that are often very common in our everyday environment. It is my opinion that it is probably an item that should not be worn in a ring or perhaps even in constant, everyday use. There's just not very much "there, there."

Thinking further: I think that I might give it the same consideration that I would an opal.
___________________________

J Marcus
http://www.flyrodjewelry.com/home.html