Fluorescence in Sea of Cortez Pearls

[GemGeek]

Here is a beautiful Perlas del Mar de Cortez, Sea of Cortez pearl ring in daylight...



And here is the same ring after leaning over the ring and using a fluorescent light...



Only the top half of the pearl is reacting because it is not in a darkened room. I hope this helps the discussion of how much fluorescence you should see in a Sea of Cortez pearl. it isn't a guarantee that you have found one, but it's a good indication that further exploration is desirable.

Sea of Cortez pearls are remarkable jewels!

Blaire

 

[tomas@pearls.kiwi]

Beautiful. I like the ring as well =)

I'm intrigued by the use of fluorescent light to show something about the pearl?
I am used to looking at Paua Pearls under strong lighting to check for conchiolin layers and thickness, is this something along the same vein?

 

[pattye]

Blaire, please elaborate on what kind of a fluorescent you used here.

Probably this light is a special UV blacklight flashlight which is sometimes used in identifying pearls and gemstones. This post grew out of a discussion over on THIS THREAD

Tomas, I look forward to finding out more about your beautiful pearls and how you produce them!

 

[morella]

UV fluorescence is so much fun!

 

[GemGeek]

Oh, yes, look at that glow!

 

[ericw]

Thank you for sharing, GemGeek and morella. Strange nacre reactions under UV! Aragonite stone turns to yellow, up to strong pink and orange, enlightened by long waves UV. Is it the same with pearls? That's difficult to see with the purple background of photos.

 

[pattye]

My Cortez Pearls, just adding here for comparison. The other pearls are Tahitians.

 

[ericw]

pattye, thank you for sharing. The pink is clearly visible, looking like some aragonite massive stones...But nothing similar with tahitian pearls, a mystery

 

[GemGeek]

I've seen some Tahitian pearls fluoresce. You can't deny the strong fluorescence of Pattye's beautiful Sea of Cortez pearls.

 

[ericw]

I've seen some Tahitian pearls fluoresce. You can't deny the strong fluorescence of Pattye's beautiful Sea of Cortez pearls.

Yes, GemGeek, they could be very fashion in some clubs! Massive aragonite has also a variable fluorescence, from yellow to strong pink and orange colours, under UV long waves, but this small reaction of tahitian pearls is worried, maybe dark conchiolin makes a barrier for this light?

 

[BWeaves]

Whoa! Pattye. That looks really cool.

 

[Naan]

Breathtaking photos!

 

[JerseyPearl]

Fabulous photo pattye!

 

[CortezPearls]

Yes, GemGeek, they could be very fashion in some clubs! Massive aragonite has also a variable fluorescence, from yellow to strong pink and orange colours, under UV long waves, but this small reaction of tahitian pearls is worried, maybe dark conchiolin makes a barrier for this light?

It is the MELANIN ericw it is what makes the pearls black and it absorbs UV light! That is the reason why we have it on our skin, to protect us from UV ray damage.
Also, the proteins in the conchiolin are different in Pinctada and Pteria species. The winged (Pteria) oysters have a unique porphyrin (protein) in their makeup that makes them glow pink-red.