Dyed but South Sea?

[Carleez]

My seller claims they’re SSP, purplish/lilac colors. Are they possibly dyed SSP? They’re gritty and lustruous. 14mm-17mm

 

[jshepherd]

This is a Chinese freshwater strand, not a South Sea.

 

[Carleez]

Ahhh, so glad i found this group

 

[CortezPearls]

Totally agree with Jeremy: those are freshwater pearls. They look nice...but they are not South Seas.

 

[pearlescence]

Those are definitely freshwater bead nucleated pearls. They may be naturally that colour but statistically the chances are that at least some of them are dyed. And that dye will almost certainly fade ('purple fade') The GIA did a report on their analysis of some similar pearls for their Summer 2021 Gems and Gemology magazine. I can't find the link to the magazine report but I wrote it up with photos of some of my own stock of faded and unfaded purples. It turned out also that the company involved lied to their staff and told them all the purples were natural.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I found the article:

https://www.gia.edu/doc/summer-2021-gems-gemology-v2.pdf

Scroll down to page 124 for the article entitled:
"DETECTION OF COLOR TREATMENT AND OPTICAL BRIGHTENING IN CHINESE
FRESHWATER “EDISON” PEARLS"

 

[pearlescence]

I contacted one of the authors. Guess who supplied the pearl sample? Grace themselves!

 

[KarinK]

I recommend checking some of the online vendors to see what the real thing looks like. It will show you that SSP are never dark. Tahitians can be dark but not those colors and not that kind of baroque shape.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

They look very much like Japanese Kasumi pearls, which are Freshwater, mostly round pearls, but are nucleated with another round pearl. I learned about these in the pearl course. I've seen them in VERY purple strands through aus_pearl on EBay. Some of the nicer, round, excellent nacre strands of the deep purple go for as much as $1,000 a strand. They are beautiful.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Agreed with others though, purple is not a color on the South Sea/Tahitian spectrum.

 

[pearlescence]

They are not Kasumi. They are bead nucleated freshwater pearls. Nucleated with a bead made from (probably) american mussel shell.

 

[KarinK]

They look very much like Japanese Kasumi pearls, which are Freshwater, mostly round pearls, but are nucleated with another round pearl. I learned about these in the pearl course. I've seen them in VERY purple strands through aus_pearl on EBay. Some of the nicer, round, excellent nacre strands of the deep purple go for as much as $1,000 a strand. They are beautiful.

I don't really agree that they look like the pearls fra Lake Kasumi in Japan I have a few myself and they are much lighter in color. They are also not usually uniformly round plus so rare that it would be nearly impossible to collect a whole necklace so uniform in color and shape. Kojima Pearls deals directly with the Kasumi farmers and you can view them at Sarah's website. I would not trust anyone on eBay claiming they sell Kasumi pearls. Expect those to be FWP from China and not the rare pearls from Lake Kasumi.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

They are not Kasumi. They are bead nucleated freshwater pearls. Nucleated with a bead made from (probably) american mussel shell.

So what is the different between the pearls you described and Kasumi? I would like to learn...

 

[pearlescence]

I'm sure the information will be in Pearls as one. It's certainly in various pearl books and this forum.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

I'm sure the information will be in Pearls as one. It's certainly in various pearl books and this forum.

Thanks, I'll do some more research on my own. Appreciate your kind reply.

 

[CortezPearls]

So what is the different between the pearls you described and Kasumi? I would like to learn...

Most Kasumis have a very baroque look, very organic...less like traditional pearls, but there are also some that are smoother looking.
Colorwise: I have never seen deep-purple Kasumis. They are multicolored and metallic, with pinks,

yellows, greens, purples and violets for the most part.

 

[pearlescence]

And then there's freshwater ripples. And purple/violet edison pearls.
Both bead nucleated freshwater pearls. Generically and incorrectly

called Edison pearls these days

 

[KarinK]

So what is the different between the pearls you described and Kasumi? I would like to learn...

Kasumi pearls are only grown in Lake Kasumi in Japan. Telling the difference between the Chinese FWP and the real thing is not always easy which is why you need to know and trust your vendor for something so special as this. There are very few Kasumi pearls available so if in doubt, assume that the pearls offered are Chinese FWP.

Sarah of Kojima Pearls sells the real deal. You can read a bit about them here if you scroll down, https://kojimapearl.com/pages/about-the-pearls You can also see a fine example of the unusual texture and glorious colors they can have. If you search for Kasumi on her website, you can see more examples. You can also see what real Kasumi pearls cost. If you find pearls adverticed as Kasumi and the price looks too good to be true, it will be If you in the market and don't know the seller, know the story of the pearls and ask lots of questions if the price doesn't give them away.

 

[CortezPearls]

I agree with @KarinK
Stick to a true and reliable source and you will find beauty and peace of mind.

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

Well then, I'm sure mine are just nice Chinese Freshwater pearls, and I paid an appropriate price for them...for the quality and color match. Thank you for these lovely pictures of the true Kasumi pearls and all the incredible information. So beautiful and unique. That's one of the things I love about this forum...you all have the pictures and the knowledge.
Here are my "Freshwaters in Purple..." and I love them just the same. For what I paid, they are clearly NOT Kasumi OR Edison, even if they were advertised as being so. I added the clasp and "B".