Here is a list of pearl terms that will help you better understand this site and the discussions within the community forum. It is compiled from multiple sources and we believe it to be one of the most comprehensive lists available.
faceted cultured pearl: Pearl carved to create rhombic or triangular surface shapes that produce a sparkling optical effect when the wearer moves.
fancy colors: Most often associated with cultured freshwater pearls, consist of unusual colors like intense pink, orange or plum.
fancy shapes: Most often associated with cultured freshwater pearls, consist of unusual shapes like bars, crosses, letters, dragons and triangles.
faux pearl: Any imitation pearl.
feather pearl: Cultured pearl gown in the (fancy) shape of a bird feather.
feeding pearl: Legend in India that describes feeding a pearl to a rooster to let its digestive acids restore the original beauty of an old pearl.
first-generation cultured pearl: Freshwater or saltwater cultured pearl whose growth is started by implanting a tissue piece, or a bead nucleus and tissue piece, in a host mollusk that has not grown a pearl before.
fitaam: Wooden nose clamp used by natural pearl divers in the 19th century.
fjeris: Folk songs developed and sung by the pearl divers while on pearling ships in the 19th century.
flame structure: Optical effect commonly associated with conch pearls; produced by aragonite crystals arranged in two directions that are often intertwined.
floor system: Method of pearl farming used in Australia where mollusks are placed in baskets attached to posts or fences and left on the seabed.
flower pearl: Cultured freshwater pearl grown in the (fancy) shape of a flower.
folded crown mussel: Common name for Cristaria plicata, a freshwater mussel that’s also called the cockscomb mussel.
fossil pearl: Pearl that has fossilized and usually dates back to the Pliocene and Miocene periods.
free suspension: Method of pearl farming where mollusks are suspended in wire or nylon panels.
French dye method: Method of dyeing natural and cultured pearls using an organic coloring agent; originated in France.
French river pearl: Imitation pearl made from the hinge of Pinctada shells.
Freshadama pearls: Trade name for freshwater pearl strands composed of loose, gem-grade freshwater pearls exhibiting orient.
freshwater pearl: Pearl grown in a mussel in a non-saline environment.
fuhyu pearl: Chinese name for natural or cultured abalone pearl found or grown in Haliotis discus.
Fujita, Masao: Known as the father of the cultured freshwater pearl industry, Fujita was the first to culture whole freshwater pearls in Lake Biwa, Japan.
Fujita rose pearl: Freshwater pearl from Lake Biwa first developed and marketed by Dr. Masao Fujita in 1930. The pearls were produced by implanting a drilled mother-of-pearl bead and a donor-mussel tissue piece in the host mussel’s soft body.
funado: Kind of ama (Japanese pearl diver) who worked with a partner and a boat. |
