Feather Pearls

[Pearlgully]

Does anyone have information on "feather" pearls? I was told they are natural pearls from China. I checked the Strack book but couldn't find anything. There is picture of one on the Kojima website, under loose pearls. Thanks in advance.

Gail

 

[pattye]

I think it is a variation of perhaps keishi pearl or tissue nucleated pearl? Sarah says "natural color" not natural pearl.

 

[Pearlgully]

Hi Pattye,

I did notice that Sarah's description said "natural color" but I recently bought a pair from United States Pearl Co. that I hope to make into earrings and Mr. Peach specifically said "natural pearl". Prior to last week, I'd never seen this kind of pearl before. I think they're very unusual and can be made into wonderful jewelry pieces.

Gail

 

[Pearlgully]

I just checked the P-G glossary and it says "cultured". I was definitely told "natural pearl". Maybe it can be both.... (I hope so). Oh well, I guess I'll phone the company tomorrow just to make sure.

Gail

 

[pattye]

Well, the Peach family certainly should be a reliable source. That is your best bet, call them and make sure. No doubt the price would reflect cultured/natural based on mans' intervention. Keep us posted! And please do show us what you make! Are they drilling the pearls for you? As always, the song is "Photos please!"

 

[Valeria101]

Sounds like a new-ish happening among the types of irregular freshwater pearls (anyone ventures to guess how these huge, flat things form?) that needed a name and eventually got one

Wouldn't expect every commercial label to be documented - the takes time and some consistency. These things seem new and who knows if the availability will persist for enough time for a name to 'catch'... 'Bet that the producers of such pearls would rather have just about any other symmetrical shape instead of 'wings'!

Just a thought...


One upon a time, similarly shaped pearls used to be a 'normal' baroque shape among US natural freshwater. Those pearls are smaller, of course, and while typical .. I am not sure whether they ever were particularly prized for the shape itself. They were called 'wings', 'angel wings' or such... I think I prefer 'feather' (less corny); besides, the huge, colorful Chinese pearls have little in common with the old, whiter, smaller ones, except for the general shape.

Here's some original 'wings': LINK. Quite similar shape, don't you think? I wonder if the likeness isn't due to some similarities in their formation process... even though the mollusks are different animals, etc.

 

[A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE]

wing pearl

wing pearl

wing pearls can be natural freshwater.Here is a photo of one we had mounted 20 yrs ago.This pearl was founed in a 3 ridge mussel shell harvested from the Tennessee river. Wing pearls grow naturally, up next to the hinge of a shell. I would guess that to obtain a cultured " wing" pearl, one would have to place a wing shape nucli into the mantle part of the shell. A natural "wing" of this size, and quality is extremly rare as many,many tons of shells were processed before this one was found. You are right, because most natural freshwater wings are much smaller due to their location inside the shell. Not only smaller,but of a
poorer quality.

Sounds like a new-ish happening among the types of irregular freshwater pearls (anyone ventures to guess how these huge, flat things form?) that needed a name and eventually got one

Wouldn't expect every commercial label to be documented - the takes time and some consistency. These things seem new and who knows if the availability will persist for enough time for a name to 'catch'... 'Bet that the producers of such pearls would rather have just about any other symmetrical shape instead of 'wings'!

Just a thought...


One upon a time, similarly shaped pearls used to be a 'normal' baroque shape among US natural freshwater. Those pearls are smaller, of course, and while typical .. I am not sure whether they ever were particularly prized for the shape itself. They were called 'wings', 'angel wings' or such... I think I prefer 'feather' (less corny); besides, the huge, colorful Chinese pearls have little in common with the old, whiter, smaller ones, except for the general shape.

Here's some original 'wings': LINK. Quite similar shape, don't you think? I wonder if the likeness isn't due to some similarities in their formation process... even though the mollusks are different animals, etc.

 

[Pearlgully]

Oh well, I guess I'll phone the company tomorrow just to make sure.

Gail

I phoned! The pair of feather pearls that I purchased are natural pearls; nacreous, too.
I also learned that feather pearls can come from the U.S. as well as from China.; but from what I have seen, the pearls do not appear to look the same.
The pearl in post # 7 is different than the ones I have.

Gail

 

[jshepherd]

I have to post this photo I received from a guy in French Polynesia yesterday after seeing the pearl fish photo. He shot the photo to show the color of his top pearls. I am not sure why he included the cigarette. Maybe to show the stripes in relation to the pearl's color...? As a non-smoker I am not really familiar with Marlboro stripes



Just for enjoyment, here is a portion of the lot sans cigarette.



It is a nice lot, a total of 1500+ pearls ranging in size from 12 mm to 18 mm, only 3 pearls over 18 mm but 127 over 15 mm. I think I am going to turn them down on this one, however. The asking price is a little steep.

 

[pattye]

Well, we can drool anyway!

 

[J Marcus]

I first ran across wing pearls in the 1970's. Friends of mine had some that they'd picked up at swap meets. Eventually I bought some (can't remember how many) at Park-n-Swap in Phoenix, AZ. I think I still have one. (somewhere. . .) I have always heard them referred to as "Mississippi Angel Wing Pearls." As I recall, at the time, they were considered more of a curiosity than anything else and when set in jewelry were as likely to be set in silver as any other metal.

Marc
http://www.flyrodjewelry.com/home.html

 

[A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE]

Does anyone have information on "feather" pearls? I was told they are natural pearls from China. I checked the Strack book but couldn't find anything. There is picture of one on the Kojima website, under loose pearls. Thanks in advance.

Gail

A feather or wing pearl is formed naturally, down near the hinge of the mollusks .Just as all natural pearls, it begains with an irritant.The shape of the pearl is determined by the area inside the shell where the irritant implants.This is natures way of protecting the mollusk from pain,It begains to smooth the irritant with nacre. Just as we do many times after a bone injury, our body will smooth the area over with calcium.Once again,natures way.Wing pearls are found in many types mollusks in American waters.I would guess that the only way to get a cultured wing or feather pearl would be to place a winged shape implant into the shell being implanted.I would also speculate that a cultured wing or feather pearl would be rare.

 

[SteveM]

This is natures way of protecting the mollusk from pain,It begains to smooth the irritant with nacre. Just as we do many times after a bone injury, our body will smooth the area over with calcium.

As well as the non-nacreous mollusks. Could the absurdly cancerous Pearl of Allah have begun life as a calcareously-concreted 'feather'?

 

[A PEARL OF GREAT PRICE]

Hi Pattye,

I did notice that Sarah's description said "natural color" but I recently bought a pair from United States Pearl Co. that I hope to make into earrings and Mr. Peach specifically said "natural pearl". Prior to last week, I'd never seen this kind of pearl before. I think they're very unusual and can be made into wonderful jewelry pieces.

Gail

The exotic shapes of natural pearls has character and soul.Gets away from the classic sphere,and lends themselves more readly as "man",jewelry. Our wing pearl is identified by the Latendresse family, as a, " Twist Of Fate" [look at Valeria 101's link] When trying to decide how to mount our pearl,We looked at a book of Alabama fish ,and since the wing closely resembled the male Alabama Bowfin, We got a local jeweler,Kent Harris to mount it in gold. It doesn't show as much grace as it could have,but all in all we love it.The pictures doesn't do it half justice.It has a small diamond eye which can't be seen in the photos.

 

[laurenb]

I am not sure why he included the cigarette. Maybe to show the stripes in relation to the pearl's color...? As a non-smoker I am not really familiar with Marlboro stripes

It's an indication of the size as it would appear in your hand. It doesn't translate that well into American culture, where only 20-25% of people smoke, but even former smokers would know precisely how it would feel to hold that pearl after seeing the photo. Coinage works well, but only if you're familiar with the currency. Calipers are technically correct, but you don't get the 3-D round-tactile comparison. Perspective can distort a comparison to a ruler.

Color might have been an ancillary factor... I can tell the toning on the photo is nearly true because I've seen enough Marlboro menthols to know that's almost exactly the correct color for the paper and the logo.

It's a somewhat dreadful photo to send to an American because, as Asians and Europeans sometimes point out, all Americans are "trying to quit."

Show that to a pearl lover who's a former smoker or one in the process of quitting and all the "lust/allure/attraction" adjectives used to describe pearl addiction take on a completely different meaning.

"Superb! I'll take 2 packs... I mean... strands!"

 

[Raisondetre]

Sigh, 25% is 25% too many who smoke ...

 

[Amrita]

How true, Raisondetre! As a non smoker living in China, a nation where smoking is "culturally" accepted, and where despite the steps being taken to ban smoking at public places, there are still close to a million people dying every year from smoke related diseases, the experience takes on a totally new dimension.

I wholeheartedly agree that pearls and cigarettes are a total mismatch in what they represent to me. Pearls to me mean beauty, grace, longevity, strength - while cigarettes, in my mind, represent disease, ugliness, pollution, weakness.....

 

[CLICLASP]

Hello,
here you will see more wing pearls from American rivers , that were exhibited at the Pearl exhibition in Paris last year.

http://www.cliclasp.com/priv-pages/american_pearl_cy_exhibition_paris_2007.html

and one I get, mounted with a round natural american river pearl as well, on an ametrine

 

[MSC]

I'm glad I found this thread. Has there been any consensus about whether or not "feather/wing" pearls coming from the hinge is natural or cultured? I visited the American Pearl Co museum last year and they had shells for sale, you could easily see where the wing pearls come from. Also it got me thinking about the instance that these pearls could develop naturally in mussels that have been seeded for other kinds of cultured pearls - would you call those natural or cultured? Would they be considered a by product of the culturing process just because the mussel was used for other kinds of cultured pearls? How would you tell the difference between a natural and a cultured pearl in that case?

 

[GemGeek]

I'm not sure how they would tell, but any pearl found in a farmed mollusk is considered a byproduct of culturing and therefore not naturally occuring. Great question!