My Eclipse pearls faded.

ofgemsandcoffee said:

I saw a gorgeous purple Edison strand recently and was considering buying it, but then I saw this thread and backed out. Always finding useful information in Pearl Guide!

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I have heard from Yens that the pearl farmers have fixed the fading problem. They are using older mollusks now, and doing minimal if no processing on the pearls after harvest. There's no way of knowing if every farm has changed to the new process. There's no way for you to know if you're getting pearls from the new process or the old process. And, I don't know how long they've been doing the new process, so maybe they just take longer to fade now? Or maybe they don't fade now? I don't want to be the one to find out.

BWeaves said:

I have heard from Yens that the pearl farmers have fixed the fading problem. They are using older mollusks now, and doing minimal if no processing on the pearls after harvest.

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I'm not sure this is a fix insomuch as a countermeasure because fading takes a long time. Older mollusks produce slightly thicker nacre so it stands to reason this would be a good first approach to the problem. Likewise, discontinuing post harvest treatments are also a good measure.

Fading is a natural problem, it's not borne of pearl culture. Purple pearls are formed by the thinnest mantles, where tabular orientation of crystals are nearest to zero degrees. It's the least amount of surface aragonite stabilizing the underlying prismatic layers of calcite. Colour does not fade insomuch as being occluded by reverted calcite, too near to the surface.

Time will tell.

Thanks! That makes me want to avoid purple pearls even more, knowing that they will eventually fade no matter what. Such a shame, because they're so pretty when fresh.

BWeaves said:

Thanks! That makes me want to avoid purple pearls even more, knowing that they will eventually fade no matter what. Such a shame, because they're so pretty when fresh.

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There is one thing about my purple pearls that separate them from the others. In almost every scenario, the purple colour presents on the whitest pearls only. This happens at the flats spots and immediate proximity to other pearls. The more coloured pearls have no purple spots.

The reason being... calcite. Elegantly terminated lathes of calcite occur early in every growth cycle of every pearl, then becomes overlain by aragonite in the middle of the cycle. In this case, calcite continues to be precipitated, intermixed with aragonite to the end of the cycle, thus not as stable as other pearls at the surface.

It's a genetics, not a husbandry issue. The season matters when it comes to harvesting pearls, but the time of the month is also critical in order to yield the maximum thickness of the outermost layer of the latest cycle. Lathed calcite reverts from rhombohedral to concretionary very rapidly in the environment when unprotected or unstabilized.

These pearls are 10-12 years post harvest and none of the purple is visible today. In fact they are snow white, the whitest pearls in my collection.

Lagoon Island Pearls said:

These pearls are 10-12 years post harvest and none of the purple is visible today. In fact they are snow white, the whitest pearls in my collection.

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Wow! Can you show us a recent photo of the same pearls as a comparison, please?

BWeaves said:

Wow! Can you show us a recent photo of the same pearls as a comparison, please?

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I found some. I have others, but will check for others and get images in better light. Some of the deep purple is retained on a couple of pieces, but the lovely violet overtones faded to pink or white.

Thank you! That's a great example!

Only thing I know fades pearls is the wearer using perfumes and lotions etc

Lagoon Island Pearls said:

I found some. I have others, but will check for others and get images in better light. Some of the deep purple is retained on a couple of pieces, but the lovely violet overtones faded to pink or white.

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What a great example!!!! Are these freshwater or saltwater? Does that make any difference? I know that someone (might have been BWeaves) that blue akoyas can fade too. Is that the same reason?

A Breaker said:

Are these freshwater or saltwater? Does that make any difference?

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Saltwater and both are affected because the crystal class/type are the same.

A Breaker said:

What a great example!!!! Are these freshwater or saltwater? Does that make any difference? I know that someone (might have been BWeaves) that blue akoyas can fade too. Is that the same reason?

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I've never had my blue akoyas fade. My blue akoyas are still as intense as when I bought them. My pistachio akoyas are as intense as when I bought them. My Tahitians have not faded. Only my Edisons have faded. My Edisons were all intensely dark colors (deep purples, fuscia, dark green), and they all faded to pale lavender.