Chalky white spots on carved pearls?

[nnguye20]

Hi everybody! I just got 2 beautiful carved pearls from Wen pearls and noticed that they have some white chalky spots. I really like the pearls but I hope to know what caused these spots and if there is any way to get rid of them. I tried to lightly washed and rubbed the pearls with soft cloth and some of the white spots came off, but those in the picture are still there.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Are they recessed from the surface? I've seen white coloration in divots in Tahitian pearls...I think that is just the color of the nacre at that spot. But if it's right on the surface...I don't know.

 

[Lugana]

Looks like some paint/ carving residue to me.. Have you tried maybe lightly brushing them with a soft tooth brush?
PS I've seen one of those carved tahitians from Wen on a friend and it had bright color only inside the carved bits, while the pearl itself looked rather buffed. It was nice looking, but just different to other carved pearls I've seen. Do yours look same?..

 

[Red]

Agree that it looks like residue from the carving. Try washing again.

 

[nnguye20]

Thank you so much for your reply! Since the spots are on the surface and some can be scrapped out, I would hope they are carve or paint residue. I will try cleaning them again and let you know, and take more close-up pictures if possible. When I first got them from the package there were more white spots and white dust on the pearls, and I managed to wipe and scrap them off. I dont know about the ones that are still there they kinda look like damaged surface.
Lugana, sinve you said so I compared the pearls from Wen with another carved pearls I got from Kong (the big one at the bottom), and I don't see much significant difference really. The bigger pearl from Wen (bigger one on top) has really good almost mirror- luster on the uncarved surface, and the overall overtone and colors of the surface and carved bits are pretty consistent too. The smaller one is not as glossy and the surface kinda make me think of carved metal balls? I think it may depends on the pearls? Btw, I didn't have this problem with kong's carved pearl

 

[ericw]

nnguye20, if these spots are made of carving dust, they must be easy to remove with water. If you can't, maybe that's a mix of dust and other thing, a glue for exemple, then, try to rub spots with acetone, and more softly with alcohol (alcohol would remove an acrylic painting).
Sometimes, tahitian pearls have little white spots, but these lacks don't look like these you are showing, specially the one on pearl in the middle.
Try also to rub spots with your nail: if nacre goes away like a powder and you feel you dig nacre, doing that, it's a bigger problem. That means nacre has been damaged in depth by some chemical (for exemple, toluene makes that, and also new glues used to stick glass under sunlight catalysis).
About colours of carving, each tahitian pearl is different.

 

[ericw]

Looks like some paint/ carving residue to me.. Have you tried maybe lightly brushing them with a soft tooth brush?
PS I've seen one of those carved tahitians from Wen on a friend and it had bright color only inside the carved bits, while the pearl itself looked rather buffed. It was nice looking, but just different to other carved pearls I've seen. Do yours look same?..

Lugana, I understand how it might be difficult to see every carved pearls...

 

[BWeaves]

Ericw, your pearl shop is hypnotic. I'm just mesmerized by all the swirls in your pearls.

 

[ericw]

BWeaves, it's very very kind of you to say!
Drawings of my carved pearls are inspired by nature's shapes and models : corals (like my last creation on a GSSP), clouds, lianas, and all these stranges disorders which make the great nature order, at last.