[Valeria101]

Botched nucleation? Defective fake?

Take a look: a pearl with an unusual defect

[jshepherd]

I must be something attached post-harvest. Is there a photo direct on the "hairy blemish"? I see no cracking of the nacre from the angle yet there are multiple protrusions. The pearl is strung in a strand and nothing is going to grow post-culturing, post-harvest and post-processing on a nucleus.

I have never, ever seen anything like this on a pearl before. My guess is that it is not actually coming through the nacre. Somehow a small particle of epoxy was smudged on the pearl and the strand was placed in a box; a black box. The owner should take a chance on the pearl and scrape!

Five o'clock shadow ... Is that you, GemGeek?!

[GemGeek]

Originally Posted by jshepherd

Five o'clock shadow ... Is that you, GemGeek?!

Guilty as charged!

[Slraep]

I'd isolate the pearl, put it under glass, and look to see if it sprouts some more tufts of whatever that is. If it does, then it may just be Morgellon's. Either you will have to incinerate it, or if you are brave, see if time will give you a completely "fuzzy" pearl. Handle with extreme care and under no circumstance should the pearl be found "cute". Remember the "tribbles" from Star Trek? Imagine what could happen if all the pearls at PP became infected and started mating?

Slraep

[GemGeek]

Originally Posted by Slraep

I'd isolate the pearl, put it under glass, and look to see if it sprouts some more tufts of whatever that is. If it does, then it may just be Morgellon's. Either you will have to incinerate it, or if you are brave, see if time will give you a completely "fuzzy" pearl. Handle with extreme care and under no circumstance should the pearl be found "cute". Remember the "tribbles" from Star Trek? Imagine what could happen if all the pearls at PP became infected and started mating?

Slraep

I'm predicting another sleepless night!

[nlerner]

Hairy Krishna, Hairy, Hairy!