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Agreed. If the stones were real diamonds, I'd expect the clasp to be made of white gold, stamped with the corresponding marking, and be used in an Akoya or South Sea pearl bracelet (or Edison sold as fine jewellery).

It is shown in the second photo, the lower right part of the pearl is flatter. The colours of the rainbow pattern remain the same when I rotate the pearl, so I don't think it is orient (iridescence).

This is a recent purchase from a department store jewellery fair. According to the salesperson it is a 9mm off-round natural colour white South Sea pearl. The overall body colour is bluish silver-grey, with a ring of rainbow colour bands encircling the flat side. The rainbow bands are on the...

Well, if you are talking about gemstones that are expected to be worn for life without changing or re-polishing, then yes, micro-scratches from dust could be a concern. That said, I would say doing chores is one of those activities that should have the ring taken off regardless of the gemstone...

Oh, that is probably the reason the nacre peels off so fast. Nacre is made of layers of aragonite crystals "glued" together by proteins secreted by the pearl oyster. Every layer of the structure is exposed when the pearl is cut in half, which means the moisture, oil and sweat on the skin can...

The nacre of these pearls are way too thin even by the standard of Akoya pearls. So thin that even without peeling, they are showing the colour of the shell bead underneath while lacking the mirror-like reflections typically found in Akoyas. By the way, are they half-pearls? I rarely heard of...

Aurora effect is also observable on some South Sea pearls and Tahitian pearls, with the rainbow gold SSP and peacock Tahitians showing the most striking colours. Gold/White South Sea pearl: Tahitian pearl: Note: the same aurora colours are visible at the bottom half of the pearls even when...

Pearl Science Laboratory use the same setup (black background with diffused white light at the bottom) as a standardised way to observe the aurora effect a.k.a. interference colours. The strength and colour pattern of aurora effect is believed to be correlated with nacre quality and lustre, and...

Speaking of pearls in cosmetics, Mikimoto also sells skin care products (and maybe cosmetics as well?) with powdered pearls added. They use rejects with low quality/incomplete nacre, and (IIRC) the entire pearl including the nucleus, which is made of freshwater mollusk shell, is ground up. Which...

A few darker pairs on the second row were only called "Akoya Pearls" but they still ask for the same price as the hanadamas below 😅

The quickest way to find out is to buy a LED light box and look at the pearls there. I played with light box shooting before, and I could tell you that objects never looks the same in light box vs under "normal" light, because white LED is blindingly bright, much closer to the object and the...

I am totally unfamiliar with the pearl business in China so could you please elaborate?

The shop is called LucasPearl. The seller called himself Mark and he claims to work in Qiujiaan, Wenling, where he also ships his pearls from. He also claims that he was in the pearl business for 15 years.

I guess they are imitations. The drill holes looks somewhat larger than that of typical genuine pearls and the area surrounding the drill holes of each pearls are every-so-slightly flattened, but then it could be the camera angle and/or reflections, and I'm still very new in collecting pearls.

My pleasure:giggle: I guess people would be more interested in relatively obscure shows like JMA show compared to big shows like the September show, and it is an refreshing experience to glimpse at the business side of the hobby as a layman, so I decided to write this post. Speaking of the...

Thanks 😊 The show was a fun visit and I am happy with the purchases since I got most of the pearls on my wishlist and a few pleasant surprises.

Thanks for the appreciation😊 Japanese Mabe in gold colour was on my wishlist since I first heard about it. Luckily, a lot of Japanese pearl companies attended the show, and there were a few companies selling such pearls. I also tried to find Cortez Mabes and Paua Mabes during the visit...

Photo time! I blew up my pearl budget for this show in just two days, that's why I didn't visit again:nervous: Other than the pearls in the photo I also bought other jewellery, but they're not as interesting or just generic pieces like plain necklace chains for pendants. First of all, the...

I've just returned from JMA International Jewelry Show hosted in Hong Kong last weekend. In case you are wondering, JMA International Jewelry Show is a jewellery show organised by Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturers’ Association; unlike the September jewellery fair organised by Hong Kong Trade...

Hi @CortezPearls I don't know the exact name of this shape, maybe skewed marquise? Japanese are more creative in mabe shapes, probably because they are selling them as specialty jewellery. I've seen skewed marquises, kites, hearts with a hooked end, and even mabes in the shape of magatama, a...