Testing Black Baroque South Sea Pearl

[Trisakti]

Hi, I chanced upon this website while trying to determine the authencity of the black baroque south sea pearl I recently purchased from Indonesia. I am new to the pearl realm and thus very happy to learn about the industry from the website. Great discussions!

A few things I noted about my pearl:
1. One or two whitish pits (not sure if this is the right term) on the pearl
2. Pearl orient appears ok, though it is mostly green in colour
3. The colour is even and no observable discolouration

As such, I attempted to find out if the pearl is naturally black by applying some HCL acid to the tip of the pearl after subjecting it to UV beam, and 10x loupe without deriving any conclusion. While the pearl "bubbled", the black dye did not appear as I have read on some online articles. And I cannot be sure that there is no irradiation or heat treatment done to the pearl as I do not have the necessary equipment.

'Looking for advice from the experts!

 

[purepearls]

If you are determined to find out if they have been treated, it may be best to send them to a lab where they can examine the pearls. Often, when examining for irradiation, the pearl is destroyed in the process so if you are attached to the pearl, you may want to forego this process.

 

[Trisakti]

Thanks for the reply. As a matter of fact, I just sent the pearl to the lab and the report says that it is definitely an undyed cultured pearl! Phew!

 

[purepearls]

That is wonderful news!