Weird Story

[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]

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]

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!

[CortezPearls]

Hmmm...just found this thread and it has been over a year since its inception. Should I try to answer this shaggy pearl story???
This is what I guess happened (from my personal experience):
1) Cultured Pearl was growing 100% OK
2) Something "bad" happened to the oyster: stress, rough handling, dog bite...take your pick.
3) The oyster's stress levels made the pearl-sac produce periostracum protein instead of nacre.
4) Sometime later the problem was resolved and the oyster went back to normal: its pearl sac secreting nacre once more.
That's about it! Have seen this dozens of times...

[purlgurl]

I tried the link & the photos are gone... I'm now trying not to imagine a hairy pearl.

[Caitlin]

I clicked around a bit and found it. That photo is on the forum, tho I don't know where. Is that Blaire's hand?

[Ramona]

I am not sure. Is this the pearl:

http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/d...funkypearl.jpg

[Caitlin]

Yes. That is GemGeek's photo. Isn't the web a marvel?

[GemGeek]

Fascinating that my photo got around. Nope, it was a pearl with little white whiskers growing right out of the surface from within. No way it was faked.

[purlgurl]

Oh dear, the image I did not want to imagine is becoming more real...
Can anyone find the photo?

[Nora]

This is the hairy pearl.
It would make a nice piece of jewelry for hairless Chihuahua......

[pattye]

Caitlin's little "Ruthie" NEEDS this pearl!