dyed freshwater pearls

[pmorna742]

I've attempted to source information on this subject in the forums before asking. Please excuse me if I'm repeating what has already been discussed recently.

If dyed colours fade, is there any particular timescale likely? And, would it be prudent to rinse unevenly dyed gold coins and keishi prior to working with them? Would this produce a more uniform colour?

Morna

[Caitlin]

Hi
Some dyes do fade. Some pearls are helped by a bath if the dye job is uneven. There is no time scale for dyed pearls to fade. sometimes you don't find out until youv'e made them up and worn them.

Generally, the blacks don't fade- in my experience at least. Let us know what your experience is.

[Kevin Canning]

thats the thing is every factory will have a different "recipe" for their dyes, so there is no standard. Like Caitlin mentioned I would assume the really bright neon colors will probably fade sooner then say a black.

[purepearls]

Rinsing will most likely not help the uneven dye job. If the pearls are dyed unevenly, the more saturated portion will most likely continue to hold more color. With black pearls and other really dark colors, the pearls have to be saturated in the dye for a much longer time period to create the resulting color. This allows the dye to soak through the layers of the nacre, and it has time to really set.

[Ashley]

I would, however like to recommend that you keep your dyed pearls (really any pearl) out of the sun, or any other harsh elements (such as chlorine) that may speed the fading process along...