What are Mabe' pearls?

[BWeaves]

I thought I knew what Mabe' pearls were. I was wrong.

Here are my mother's Mabe' pearls. 2 pairs of earrings and an enhancer. You can see the mother of pearl covering the backside.

I just started reading the "Pearl Book" that I bought from the Mikimoto Museum during my Japan trip. The "Pearl Standard" had eye opening information for me about the difference between blister pearls, blisters, and Mabe' pearls. And Mabe' pearls aren't what I thought they were.

I thought Mabe' pearls were cultured blisters which had the nucleus removed and replaced with a glue, and then backed with a slice of mother of pearl shell. Mabe' is a type of oyster that is commonly used to culture that type of pearl. But the correct term for that type of pearl is HANKEI. So the Sea of Cortez Mabe' pearls should correctly be called Sea of Cortez Hankei cultured pearls.

Sea of Cortez Hankei cultured pearl example.

Sea of Cortez Mabe Pearl - Perlas del Mar de Cortez - INGLES

Cortez Mabe Pearl Cortez Mabe Pearls are the most colorful in the world but they are produced inContinue Reading "Sea of Cortez Mabe Pearl"

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But if I haven't heard the term Hankei before, then neither has the general public, so we're calling all of them Mabe' pearls.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

White mabe pearls are often cultured in the Pteria penguin oyster ("penguin wing"), so called because of the shape of the shell. I expect that is what my mother's mabe earrings are. They have MOP in back.

I have a Tahitian mabe pendant, too. Also MOP in back.

 

[BWeaves]

Pearl Dreams, yours are very pretty. I've never seen a Tahitian mabe' pearl before. Very unique.

Your earring is quite petite for a mabe' pearl. My mother's earrings are huge, but they're from the 1990s. Very Princess Diana. They're way too big for my earlobes. I like yours better.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I have big ear lobes, BWeaves! I don't wear these much because they look a bit large and knob-like. But I'm going to wear them today to go shopping.

I never measured them before but now I was curious. The earring with its setting is 16mm and the pearl itself about 13.5mm diameter. Is that small for a mabe? I have no idea.
Here they are in my hand (my hand is large too-- I have to buy Large size gloves!)

 

[BWeaves]

I just measured my Mom's.

Enhancer pearl is 15.5 mm by 22.5 mm

Drop shaped earrings are 12.5 mm by 20 mm

The round earrings are roughly 19.5 to 20 mm in diameter. They swamp my earlobes.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

That is indeed large!

 

[CortezPearls]

I thought I knew what Mabe' pearls were. I was wrong.

Here are my mother's Mabe' pearls. 2 pairs of earrings and an enhancer. You can see the mother of pearl covering the backside.

View attachment 474587View attachment 474588View attachment 474590View attachment 474589

I just started reading the "Pearl Book" that I bought from the Mikimoto Museum during my Japan trip. The "Pearl Standard" had eye opening information for me about the difference between blister pearls, blisters, and Mabe' pearls. And Mabe' pearls aren't what I thought they were.

I thought Mabe' pearls were cultured blisters which had the nucleus removed and replaced with a glue, and then backed with a slice of mother of pearl shell. Mabe' is a type of oyster that is commonly used to culture that type of pearl. But the correct term for that type of pearl is HANKEI. So the Sea of Cortez Mabe' pearls should correctly be called Sea of Cortez Hankei cultured pearls.

View attachment 474593View attachment 474592View attachment 474591

View attachment 474595View attachment 474594

Sea of Cortez Hankei cultured pearl example.

Sea of Cortez Mabe Pearl - Perlas del Mar de Cortez - INGLES

Cortez Mabe Pearl Cortez Mabe Pearls are the most colorful in the world but they are produced inContinue Reading "Sea of Cortez Mabe Pearl"

perlas.com.mx

But if I haven't heard the term Hankei before, then neither has the general public, so we're calling all of them Mabe' pearls.

Exactly...for the sake of clarity, somehow the term "Mabe" became more common...and I would add:
The Mabe-gai pearl oyster is Pteria penguin
The Rainbow Lip pearl oyster is Pteria sterna
If there ever was another "Mabe" pearl out there...it would have to come from a Pteria species...and the Cortez Mabe truly are! And they both fluoresce (glow) red under UV lights!

And also: I wrote a whole chapter for our PEARL EDUCATION on PG, all about Mabe & Blisters...you can read it HERE.