The Verification
The Verification
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The Verification
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From the beginning, I knew that Jeremy Norris had a sterling reputation in the pearl-guide forum (in fact, so sterling that the experts of pearl-guide will tell you that you don't even need a certification when buying from Jeremy Norris), but to be safe I wanted to ask some sources unaffiliated with pearl-guide.com. Google turned up the fact that Jeremy had a degree from GIA. So I contacted GIA and they verified the date of his graduation/certification.
Next, I checked the pearl under a black light, as I had learned that black pearls from the Gulf of California glow red under UV, unlike other black pearls. It glowed red, confirming that Jeremy Norris was at least honest about the region of origin.
I also tried to find an unaffiliated local expert to give me a hands-on appraisal. To this end I contacted Neil Landman, curator of the natural pearl exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, author of the book Pearls: A Natural History, and fellow alumnus of Polytechnic University. Mr Landman referred me to an estate appraiser and I spoke to their pearl "expert" (whose names I can't recall). When I asked this pearl "expert" if he could determine whether or not the pearl was natural, he said he only knew enough about saltwater pearls to make such a determination and asked me where the pearl was from. When I told him it was from Baja California, he said that it must be freshwater since all pearls from the US are freshwater. He obviously had no idea where Baja California was (in Mexico) and that pearls were grown there.
The next appraiser I contacted was Gina Latendresse of American Pearl Company in Tennessee (who also has a sterling reputation). She told me that she could appraise the pearl, but that she wouldn't be in New York until the spring of 2007. I also found out that American Pearl Company sometimes buys from Jeremy Norris and gets their pearls certified/identified at either the GIA lab or the AGTA lab in New York. I decided that it wasn't worth the hassle to get an appraisal, but I still had every intention of getting a lab certification/identification.
Fortunately, almost all the labs that do pearl identification/certification have sites in New York. They are actually all within a block or two of each other in the diamond district. The labs I looked at are: GIA, IGI, EGL, and AGTA. EGL and GIA are less expensive than the other two. EGL and AGTA are quicker than the other two. The reputations are pretty consistent across the board and, although Sotherbys auction house claims that they will only accept a GIA cert for natural pearls, at the time my general impression was that the differences in reputation mattered more to end customers than savvy gem professionals. With this in mind, I naturally went with EGL for the fast and inexpensive service.
When I arrived at EGL I asked to speak to someone about exactly how they determine whether or not a pearl is natural, whether or not they include a copy of the x-ray with the report, and whether or not they comment on the particular factors that led to their conclusion in the report. Gemologist Donna Beaton of EGL explained to me that they don't have time to write such comments nor do they include a copy of the x-ray, but assured me that they can easily make the determination from the x-ray. All the other labs said the same thing, so I left the pearl with EGL.
One week later the certification came back saying that the pearl was cultured! I called EGL and asked them if they were sure. They said they were absolutely sure. When I went to pick up the pearl I asked to see the gemologist that examined the pearl (Donna Beaton). I told her I got the pearl from a very reputable dealer and I asked her if she was absolutely sure it was cultured. She said that she was completely sure. So I went home and contacted Jeremy Norris.
Jeremy Norris said he was very surprised at the result. He told me he got the pearl from a very reputable farmer that he's dealt with in the past and asked me to send the pearl back to him so he could take it for a second opinion. Not wanting to give up hope, I offered him the following proposition: let me take it for a second opinion, if they second lab says it's cultured then you pay for the cert and I send it back, but if they say it is natural I will pay for the cert and keep it. He agreed.
Unfortunately, I couldn't take it to GIA (who requires a month for testing) and have it back in time for my planned proposal. So I took it to AGTA, but first I asked my dentist to x-ray it for me. Unfortunately, I can't scan those x-rays to show you how they looked, but in them I saw a distinct boundary 1-2mm below the surface and concentric rings throughout the body. The concentric rings suggested natural, but the distinct boundary suggested cultured.
When the certification came back from AGTA saying it was saltwater, natural color, and uncultured, I went back to EGL, AGTA cert in hand, to tell them I got a conflicting report from another lab. Donna Beaton came out holding an article from a trade journal about the cultured Mexican pearls, presumably to try and set me straight. The article is written by none other than the head gemologist of the AGTA lab Dr Lore Kiefert (who is apparently well published about the mexican pearls in particular). When I showed Ms Beaton the AGTA cert her confidence suddenly waned. She said she used to work for AGTA and that she knows Dr Kiefert personally. After calling Dr Kiefert and viewing the AGTA x-rays, Ms Beaton decided to change her determination from "cultured" to "natural". EGL gave me a refund along with a copy of their digital x-ray:
http://leroybrown.glassmelter.com/pearls/egl_rad.jpg
Back at AGTA, I asked to see the x-ray. Although they wouldn't allow me to keep it because their x-rays are not digital, Dr Kiefert personally pointed out all the features on the x-ray that lead her to her "natural" identification and explained that the distinct boundary was merely a conchiolin layer. Satisfied with her explanation, I paid Jeremy Norris and took the pearl to my jeweler to have the ring made, but after my jeweler drilled the pearl I inspected the drill hole and saw white, which made me second guess Dr Kiefert's certification. I took the pearl back to AGTA and Dr Kiefert graciously inspected the drill hole for me. After cleaning it out, she showed me that it was simply white powder from the drill. Once clean, it was easy to see through the drill hole the conchiolin layer 1-2mm below the surface and the concentric layers of nacre to the center*. I finally achieved 100% confidence that the pearl was, in fact, natural and Dr Kiefert echoed that confidence saying, "Be happy with your pearl. It's very unusual."
*Although there is a remote chance that it could be a perfectly round, perfectly tissue-nucleated, mexican, saltwater pearl, such a specimen would be even rarer than a natural.