Souffle' vs Zai Sheng Zhu

[pearlsbynature]

Could someone please explain how these two are different please? The Zai Sheng Zhu keshis are solid nacre, but there's also some with a hollow center and are very light for their size. Are the culturing processes different or are they possibly the same thing, because the stench of new Zai Sheng Zhu's is definitely not pleasant. Thanks for any help to clear this up.

[Caitlin]

Hi PxN!
I don't know what Zai Zheng Zhu pearls/keshi are. I have heard from keshi drillers that the occasional hollow keshi can stink when drilled. The Souffle pearls are "nucleated" with mud and there are only a couple of technicians in China who can produce the souffle pearls. Have you looked at photos of them? Can you post a photo of the ZZZ pearls and describe what they are?

[jshepherd]

Those are simply keshi pearls or the "reborn" pearls that usually come out in the shape of a petal. The difference is that they are not nucleated, and any of them with a hollow portion is by chance, not design. The souffle pearls are nucleated with an earthen substance that is then removed.

I haven't smelled anything bad with the souffle pearls I've drilled so far.

[Marianne]

Oh good Jeremy... I'll bring you a whole one (that I got from Blaire) in July for a demonstration

Fresh hollow by chance keshi can definitely stink. It may not be obvious till they are washed. When removed from the original string (which retains the stink) and dried out, they tend to improve.
Marianne

[pearlsbynature]

Thanks for the help Jeremy, makes sense. My keshi supplier has round/ovular shaped 'reborn' pearls but I thought it might have been done on purpose rather than by accident. They said this is the first year with this shape of zai sheng zhu. Do you think the size is common enough now to string on it's own, maybe due to increased keshi production? They have sharp/high luster and are quite light for their size, which made me think they could have been the souffle' kind.
'Zai Zheng Zhu' is Chinese for 'Again Born Pearl' or 'reborn', which are keshi's and other non-nucleated shapes created by the mollusk in it's second or third round of pearl creation.
I'll post some pics of these pearls next week when I can get a good pic of them. Thanks!

[pearlsbynature]

Here's the pics I promised. They may be a bit hollow inside but I'm sure it wasn't intentionally induced. The pearls are still nice, though!