Japanese Kasumi vs. Chinese "Look-a-likes"

[Adeline Leigh]

Sarah, thank you and Fuji for those marvellous x-rays and I can barely wait for those pictures of the Voll family and pearls! I am constantly impressed with your drive to document the innovations in the CFWP industry. Before I found PG, Fuji's resources on Pacific Pearls meant the world to me; I would go back and re-read the articles with each and every new type of pearl I bought. His patience and sincerity in every answer to each of my queries was most appreciated. And I am so chuffed he took on some of my suggestions in the editing of the Chinese characters! Thank him again on my behalf.

Here is the link again to Fuji Voll's resources:
http://pacificpearls.us/category/pearl-types-info/

 

[AMc]

I love those x-ray photos! What a treat- thank you so much for posting them, Sarah- a rare glimpse inside these awesome pearls. The double-drilled Xs are very intriguing.

 

[kojimapearl]

Bodecia:
The shell that the Chinese producers are using is still a bit of a mystery. Here is a photo of it (courtesy of Jeremy Shepherd, i think). At the ruckus Blaire and Jeremy gave a fascinating lecture on these developments, and that is when I first saw this shell. There was much talk about the curve of the shell towards the top, and whether or not that indicated it being a further hybrid of the shell used in Lake Kasumi (which is a cross between the Hyriopsis cumingii / Hyriopsis schlegelii species) . Elizabeth Strack is on the case, so I am very hopeful that she will make some clarifications soon, as to it's exact origins. Until then all I personally have to go on, is that the farmers at Lake Kasumi called it a "mutation" of their shell rather than a different hybrid all together, but they have only seen photos and not the actual animal. I may not be the best person to answer this question.. this is just what I know so far.

Adeline: Yes Fuji has always delighted in the truth, both acquiring it and doling it out. For those who have patience for the "whole story".. he is always ready to share! He insists to learn the process for each new pearl type. He is amazing with languages, and insists that our invoices be written in Chinese so as to be able to have record for each new development.

la_corsetiere: I gave that pearl to a buddy of mine Gennadiy Berdnik (spectrum award winnner, and amazing master jeweler from the Ukraine, all around character) and told him ONLY : to make a "magic princess ring" .. and that is what he came up with, natural color untreated round sapphires sit at angles (so as to sparkle ALL the time) above the Japan Kasumi pearl, there is rose and yellow gold all hand engraved.. it is a masterpiece to me.. to him it's a "trinket"... yes it's for sale. (still searching for an "octo-pearl" for you!)

 

[Cathybear]

I absolutely love these Chinese pearls too! I've spent way too much money on them, but I couldn't help myself. I've made myself a rope and a shorter strand and am wearing them very, very often. I'll look for photos of mine to post... You can see I love the purples best, and since they're heavy and I live in the tropics, stringing them on powerpro (thanks Caitlin) with tiny rolled gold beads, means I can wear them whenever I want, never mind how high the humidity is, because I can wash them after each wear.
Cathy

 

[Ramona]

Cathy: You always have pearls with such fabulous luster!
Sarah: I love the ring as well!

 

[Nerida]

These pearls are a joy to work with....

The shell really is an intriguing thing... I saw the shell over dinner with a few friends in HK early this year (thanks JS!) and it is definitely one different little thing to what we are used to seeing. The colours are amazing, and show off some of the intense metallic tones we are seeing in these and the other intensely metallic nucleated pearls around at the moment. I also thought the shell was much deeper, I guess allowing for the formation of larger pearls, too. The Chinese growers are amazingly focussed on R&D around getting this right, and the hybridization may be intentional or capitalizing on a randomly occurring mutation, I am not sure. What I do know is that the pearls just get better and better...

 

[mausketeer]

I absolutely love these Chinese pearls too! I've spent way too much money on them, but I couldn't help myself. I've made myself a rope and a shorter strand and am wearing them very, very often. I'll look for photos of mine to post... You can see I love the purples best, and since they're heavy and I live in the tropics, stringing them on powerpro (thanks Caitlin) with tiny rolled gold beads, means I can wear them whenever I want, never mind how high the humidity is, because I can wash them after each wear.
Cathy

Cathy - I almost bought some of your pearls~! And yes, I noticed you are partial to purple as well (as am I). Yes, they DO have amazing lustre, that's for sure! You picked some great strands (when you retailers buy them from the wholesalers, are they in hanks already? From what I've seen, Tahitians seem to be loose, in singles, right? Are freshwaters like that too? Or are they already sorted and strung onto temp strands?)

- Jodie -

 

[Cathybear]

They're on temporary strands, usually about 16 inches long, roughly sorted; I usually have to rearrange them. I've noticed with these, every strand has been different so to make a rope its a matter of choosing two that will blend. Very pleasurable to string: the colours are amazing, and change as you move them around in your hands. I like to string during the day so I can see all the colours while I work.

 

[pearlescence]

Mausketeer, the answer to that is yes and no..sometimes. Tahitians and south seas can be bought singly, drilled or undrilled, or on strands..and it is the same with freshwaters. freshwaters tend to be ready stranded unless of earring quality, but for something like Edisons I did sit for hours selecting individual undrilled pearls last year, just as with tahitians (perhaps because they cost as much!)
WIth the gold leaf for eg, this sept I bought both strands and single pearls (going through a huge number to pick the ones for earrings)
Don't often buy hanks. most suppliers will allow you to select out the strands you want (though you pay more) only came across one dealer who would not, and he had one good strand mixed iwth one really dud strand so I walked.
And you can buy by weight too.

 

[Cees]

I carried a few strands of the Kasumi type strands which I bought in HKG in August, but reactions from the shops and consumers was very mixed. The fear is that although they look nice it would be difficult to find a market niece in the middle price range and that they would be sold cheap very soon, like the soufle pearls which went down 50 percent between June and August in HKG. Saw many strands with chips of Nacre coming off from around the drill holes.

 

[pattye]

Cees,

Do you mean the souffle pearls were chipping? I have only seen a few in person so far. Thanks for your comments about both Chinese kasumi and souffle.

 

[Nerida]

Pattye, A lot of the souffl? pearls that I have seen have bits of chipped nacre - it takes a lot of picking to find really good strands, and they are still not really plentiful. I bought quite a few singles, and some which have paired very well (large, 16mm or so) but only a few strands so far - just a bit hard to find good ones! My retailers who like unique pieces have picked them up quickly and they have sold on to consumers very well.

I agree with Cees about the mixed reaction to the wrinkled pearls from retailers - most of mine I have done with hammered beads in white or yellow gold, and it is these pieces that my retailers have picked up way before they pick up a regular strand of them. I think the feeling is that they don't know where they are going to - is the market going to be flooded with them next season? They are gorgeous, but already are a lot cheaper this year than last from the big pearl houses.

 

[mausketeer]

Can someone post a photo of souffle pearls for me please? I've heard the term before but still not certain which type they are. Does it refer to the shape or the nucleating process? Are those the ones that have "mud" inside? (and is it actually mud, or is that a term?)

- Jodie -

 

[lisa c]

Hi Maus - go to the top search bar and type in souffle, then when the page opens go halfway down to the thread Souffle pearls started by Gem Geek. Then a little below that there's a thread started by Jeremy about Souffle pearls, Souffle and the start of a new line.

 

[KarinK]

Can someone post a photo of souffle pearls for me please? I've heard the term before but still not certain which type they are. Does it refer to the shape or the nucleating process? Are those the ones that have "mud" inside? (and is it actually mud, or is that a term?)

- Jodie -

Hi Jodie,

I handled a strand of them at the mini-ruckus in Portland this summer. They are really big (not round) and weigh next to nothing, being nuclated with mud. It's supposed to be a real stinker to drill them.

- Karin

 

[Nerida]

Jodie, sorry, I am a shocker at taking photos. Yes, the pearls are ridiculously light, fabulous for making big earrings!

 

[mausketeer]

Hi Jodie,

I handled a strand of them at the mini-ruckus in Portland this summer. They are really big (not round) and weigh next to nothing, being nuclated with mud. It's supposed to be a real stinker to drill them.

- Karin

Thanks Lisa! Duh, I should've done that first! (search for photos.....)

So they are the mud nucleated ones..... that's so cool, and uh, kinda gross too! lol Gosh, this whole pearl thing is so fascinating, isn't it? I also have to keep reminding myself that they're ANIMALS. Makes it even NEATER, dontcha think? Are pearls the only gemstone that comes from an animal? (amber is the only one I can think of that comes close.....if it has an insect in it all the better!) I mean, you could say horn I guess but it's not really a gemstone..... diamonds? (carbon/dinosaur?) no wait, that's OIL/dinosaur..... lol

don't mind me - didn't get much sleep last night...... sick puppy...... (I HAVE a sick puppy I mean)......

- Jodie -

 

[Ramona]

There is dinosaur poop. Looks kind of interesting, too.

dinosaur poop aka Coprolites

 

[mausketeer]

Oh my god! Ewwww! So cool! Yeah, I need a necklace out of that! lol

Okay, here's my new favorite cartoon too!

 

[GemGeek]

Love this thread! Sorry I have been away a lot. New home owner and an hour commute each way leaves little time to check out the pearls. I sure do miss my Pearl People! Hugs to All!