Multicolor Tahitians with amazing overtones: too good to be true?

[PearlBunny]

Hi all,

I recently just pulled the trigger on a new Tahitian strand from an instagram seller. Have never bought from this vendor before (she’s located in China).

See below photos and videos of the strand indoor:

And outdoors in direct sunlight:

These colors have knocked my socks off. But, I have to admit I’m very surprised by how well the overtones are showing up even in the direct sunlight (which usually washes out the overtones). Too good to be true? I was reading about some chocolate and pistachio Tahitians being treated, but I’m not aware of other Tahitian colors being faked. I did read that some Tahitians are being heated and coated with dye to have better color, but this would be a rare practice—not sure if anyone has examples of those?

I paid around $6000 for these and thinking of sending these to the GIA once I get them to make sure they are not processed in any way.

What do you guys think? Am I just being paranoid and looking a gift horse in the mouth? (I’ve been searching for super colorful Tahitians for years now and can scarcely believe I’ve finally found them that I find myself suddenly wary of my good luck! Sounds so stupid when I type it out this way.)

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I think you are having a bit of a panic now since they are nonreturnable. When they arrive you will see what they are like in person and go from there.
I've been posting a lot on your thread on PS so you already know what I think about that video-- that there is still diffuse light in it, whether from some degree of overcast (since the shadows on the card are not as dark as I would expect in full sunlight) or possibly from air pollution haze. I still think the overtones will not be so colorful in direct sunlight and that the body colors are likely light gray, but that they will be very colorful indoors, in the shade and outdoors on overcast days!

You got the seller to state they were not treated. If GIA says otherwise, you will have cause for a PayPal dispute.
Try not to worry, for now. See what they look like when they arrive, and go from there.

 

[PearlBunny]

I think you are having a bit of a panic now since they are nonreturnable. When they arrive you will see what they are like in person and go from there.
I've been posting a lot on your thread on PS so you already know what I think about that video-- that there is still diffuse light in it, whether from some degree of overcast (since the shadows on the card are not as dark as I would expect in full sunlight) or possibly from air pollution haze. I still think the overtones will not be so colorful in direct sunlight and that the body colors are likely light gray, but that they will be very colorful indoors, in the shade and outdoors on overcast days!

You got the seller to state they were not treated. If GIA says otherwise, you will have cause for a PayPal dispute.
Try not to worry, for now. See what they look like when they arrive, and go from there.

Thank you very much for watching out for me, both over on PS and now here. Yes, I think are right! I’ll try to relax…

 

[jeg]

In the past there was a phase of treated Tahitians, especially the chocolates. The ones I saw were all round, consistent strands, though. It would seem unlikely to me to see baroque and ringed pearls treated in multiple colors. The blue pearl and the bronzy pearl in front look like examples of natural color T’s because you can see how the blue pearl has a whitish tip, and the bronze pearl has a different contrast towards the bottom. I don’t think this strand will completely wash out in sunlight because there are pearls with body colors besides overtones, but I also think the neon pic is not so realistic either.

 

[pearlescence]

Sunlight is not white or neutral light. It can be blue, green (rainy overcast) yellow. Sunlight or any natural light photos are unreliable as to colour of pearl.

 

[eolian pearls]

Hi @PearlBunny ! I have followed your quest for the most colorful Ts necklace on PS and I think the one you bought truly is as colorful as it gets. I mean it has much more color variation than your original inspiration strand (which is also absolutely gorgeous). Will it be at its most colorful in all lights? No ...but that is tahitian pearls for you. In Italy tahitian pearls are also called “grey pearls” and I really resent that name but it is true that in some lights the colors mostly disappear. That said your pearls just scream COLOR and not in a subtle way lots of Tahitians do...they were definitely chosen on the basis of their super strong color for this strand so I think they will keep their color under most lights and in the least flattering light they will still make a valiant effort. I can‘t imagine calling these pearls “grey” under any condition! Fingers crossed for you!

 

[jeg]

I think you said this pic was taken indoors, but the pearls in the back of the strand are more what I would expect this strand to look like in bright direct sunlight at its most washed out state. It will wash out, but because this strand has a lot of contrasting pearls, it’s not going to be a completely grey strand.

 

[jeg]

Since we’re on the topic of Tahitian treatment… this is not to question your strand, but just a question I’ve had in recent years. I’ve been wondering whether some Tahitians are going through some sort of polishing because the luster seems so consistent and stronger than in the past. Especially those coming out of China.

 

[PearlBunny]

@jeg Thank you for your explanation! Hmm, interesting question re treatment, can’t wait to hear others chime in!

@pearlescence Thank you—that makes sense. I recently saw the movie “Girl with a Pearl Earring”, where they discuss the myriad of colors present even in objects we assume to be white, ie clouds.

@eolian pearls Awww, thanks for following my looooong journey and your kind words. I’ll come back to share photos once I get the strand.

 

[PearlBunny]

@jshepherd if I may be so bold as to tag you and tap into your pearl wisdom, you mentioned before “
“I wouldn't say Tahitian pearls aren't treated. For the most part they aren't, except as mentioned above (chocolate and pistachios). But there are companies in China that coat, heat and color Tahitians that might otherwise be considered unsaleable. There is one company called Shanghai Pearl that exhibits at most of the shows in Hong Kong and they typically have baskets and baskets strands that are treated junk…
A lot of times they appear to have micro-cracks all over them. I've seen coated ones too that you can prick with a needle.”

Do you have photo examples of these treated Tahitians? Is this something that is happening more often now and that we should be concerned about?

I’m all about color when it comes to Tahitians, the more vibrant and unusual the color the better. BUT, is there a risk that if the colors seem too good to be true then we should be more wary of new treatments?

 

[jshepherd]

@jshepherd if I may be so bold as to tag you and tap into your pearl wisdom, you mentioned before “
“I wouldn't say Tahitian pearls aren't treated. For the most part they aren't, except as mentioned above (chocolate and pistachios). But there are companies in China that coat, heat and color Tahitians that might otherwise be considered unsaleable. There is one company called Shanghai Pearl that exhibits at most of the shows in Hong Kong and they typically have baskets and baskets strands that are treated junk…
A lot of times they appear to have micro-cracks all over them. I've seen coated ones too that you can prick with a needle.”

Do you have photo examples of these treated Tahitians? Is this something that is happening more often now and that we should be concerned about?

I’m all about color when it comes to Tahitians, the more vibrant and unusual the color the better. BUT, is there a risk that if the colors seem too good to be true then we should be more wary of new treatments?

I don't have photos of what I was describing, but I wouldn't be too concerned about it. The colors in the necklace you posted appear to be natural and the pearls are undrilled, so I think you're safe. They show a lot of pastels and exotic colors with strong contrast making them pop. It's a very pretty strand!

 

[PearlBunny]

I don't have photos of what I was describing, but I wouldn't be too concerned about it. The colors in the necklace you posted appear to be natural and the pearls are undrilled, so I think you're safe. They show a lot of pastels and exotic colors with strong contrast making them pop. It's a very pretty strand!

Thank you so much @jshepherd: my first lovely strand of multicolor Tahitians were from PP years ago: I still check back on the site from time to time for more vivid multicolored Tahitians: if I may ask, based on how the harvests are going, when do you expect to get more in this year? I have the PP email alerts on: will new multicolors batches be on livestreams or is the PP website a more reliable place to check back on later?

Just one person’s opinion: I feel like there were more multicolors to choose from overall from all the vendors back pre-pandemic, than now. Not sure if others feel the same? Or maybe it’s just me!

Just curious, what is the relevance of drilled vs undrilled in terms of the color treatment above? (I’m going to hazard a wild guess at the risk of sounding very idiotic: is it because the dye is infused through the drill hole?)

 

[CortezPearls]

Thank you so much @jshepherd: my first lovely strand of multicolor Tahitians were from PP years ago: I still check back on the site from time to time for more vivid multicolored Tahitians: if I may ask, based on how the harvests are going, when do you expect to get more in this year? I have the PP email alerts on: will new multicolors batches be on livestreams or is the PP website a more reliable place to check back on later?

Just one person’s opinion: I feel like there were more multicolors to choose from overall from all the vendors back pre-pandemic, than now. Not sure if others feel the same? Or maybe it’s just me!

Just curious, what is the relevance of drilled vs undrilled in terms of the color treatment above? (I’m going to hazard a wild guess at the risk of sounding very idiotic: is it because the dye is infused through the drill hole?)

Drilling allows for chemicals to go inside the pearl and become deposited in between the millions of nacre layers. If undrilled: only the outher layer would be affected.

 

[PearlBunny]

Drilling allows for chemicals to go inside the pearl and become deposited in between the millions of nacre layers. If undrilled: only the outher layer would be affected.

Thank you very much for the teaching! This is why I love to read the threads on this forum, it’s great fun to own AND to learn about pearls.

It’s definitely disheartening though to hear Tahitians are now being processed (hopefully this is still just a fraction of pearls). I can usually spot a dyed freshwater masquerading as a Tahitian but I don’t know if I have what it takes to spot a dyed Tahitian, either surface dye or the more advanced dye that penetrates the nacre layers.

It would be valuable teaching if anyone has pictures of these dyed Tahitians so we can all learn to spot them and stay away.

All the more reason to stick to our trusted vendors here!