Stinky pearls--help!

[cyndayco]

I bought an inexpensive baroque akoya necklace from Overstock, and now I know why it was so cheap.

Aside from being "bi-color" (i.e. uneven nacre), it exhibited a nasty odor. I've soaked and washed the pearls, thrown away the string it came with and temporarily put the pearls on a beading wire. Still, the stench persists.

Can you suggest ways to remove the smell?

 

[Marianne]

Sorry cyndayco! Sometimes with baroque and keshi pearls there are gaps inside the pearl that house unpleasant smelling organic material. You might try soaking them in hydrogen peroxide (it will help to dislodge the organic stinks) then rinse well with clear water. Run a cotton thread thru the pearls to remove some of the moisture (this is also a good way to identify which pearls are actually the stinkers as the odor will be immediately obvious on the thread!). Then let them thoroughly air dry. No guarantee, but this often is a solution.
Good luck!

 

[BrendaPC]

I found a Thread that pertains to this topic exactly, there are some great suggestions, hope this helps!

https://www.pearl-guide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2923

 

[cyndayco]

Thanks for that thread, BrendaPC.

I did use H202 last night, as Marianne suggested. (I didn't know I had to dilute it though.) It seems to have greatly diminished the stench, but I should check on it later, just to make sure.

 

[CortezPearls]

Last ditch resort: use a syringe to inject the peroxide...it will help you remove the organic matter within the pearls.
I fondly call this gunk "PePe": Pearl Petroleum

 

[Marianne]

That is what I do, Douglas
Just blast out those nasty bits! Insulin syringe works great

 

[cyndayco]

Update: the smell has diminished, although it is still funky. I'm going to do as you advised and take a syringe of H202 to the drill holes.

 

[juliebeth]

that just stinks! so sorry you got gunky pearls - maybe i won't order any more of those strands. i have them in the back of my mind for re-gifting or even disassembling and recycling, but i think i will not do so.

 

[pattye]

You probably know this from earlier posts, but dilute about half with water and flush thoroughly with clear water. I've had good luck with this method, too! (Thanks, Marianne!) Sometimes it takes more than one cleaning before it passes the sniff test.

Don't despair, some of the loveliest keshi have a stinky beginning!

 

[Katbran]

Just in time...I unwrapped my Souffle package from the July show yesterday....eeeeeeewwwww