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Questions and Answers
What is one factor that contributes to the rarity and value of larger pearls?
What is one factor that contributes to the rarity and value of larger pearls?
What is essential for a cultured pearl to be of significant value?
What is essential for a cultured pearl to be of significant value?
Why are round cultured pearls the most valuable?
Why are round cultured pearls the most valuable?
What can improve a pearl's luster?
What can improve a pearl's luster?
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What is a common characteristic of all pearls?
What is a common characteristic of all pearls?
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What is the term for irregularities confined to a pearl's surface?
What is the term for irregularities confined to a pearl's surface?
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What is a pearl with one or more grooved or ridged rings all the way around it called?
What is a pearl with one or more grooved or ridged rings all the way around it called?
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What is the process that includes cleaning, buffing, and sometimes bleaching, done to make cultured pearls presentable and appealing?
What is the process that includes cleaning, buffing, and sometimes bleaching, done to make cultured pearls presentable and appealing?
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What is a mixture of clear varnish and fish scales used in making imitation pearls?
What is a mixture of clear varnish and fish scales used in making imitation pearls?
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What irritates a pearl-bearing mollusk's soft tissue, leading to natural pearl formation?
What irritates a pearl-bearing mollusk's soft tissue, leading to natural pearl formation?
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Why have people coveted natural pearls for thousands of years?
Why have people coveted natural pearls for thousands of years?
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What contributed to the decline of the natural pearl industry?
What contributed to the decline of the natural pearl industry?
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What grows from a mantle-tissue piece and a bead nucleus implanted in a host mollusk’s gonad?
What grows from a mantle-tissue piece and a bead nucleus implanted in a host mollusk’s gonad?
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What type of cultured pearls are most Chinese freshwater cultured pearls?
What type of cultured pearls are most Chinese freshwater cultured pearls?
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How do most retailers prefer to buy cultured pearls?
How do most retailers prefer to buy cultured pearls?
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What is the chemical composition of nacre?
What is the chemical composition of nacre?
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What is the arrangement of aragonite crystals in non-nacreous pearls?
What is the arrangement of aragonite crystals in non-nacreous pearls?
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What is the term for non-nacreous pearls that do not have aragonite crystals arranged in columns perpendicular to the pearl's surface?
What is the term for non-nacreous pearls that do not have aragonite crystals arranged in columns perpendicular to the pearl's surface?
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What is the typical shape of conch pearls?
What is the typical shape of conch pearls?
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What is the size range of most pistachio pearls?
What is the size range of most pistachio pearls?
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What is the typical color of Melo pearls?
What is the typical color of Melo pearls?
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What is the characteristic of a cultured pearl with a chalky appearance?
What is the characteristic of a cultured pearl with a chalky appearance?
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What is a mabe pearl composed of?
What is a mabe pearl composed of?
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What is the characteristic of a cultured pearl with a nucleus that is not noticeable?
What is the characteristic of a cultured pearl with a nucleus that is not noticeable?
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Which type of pearl can appear in symmetrical dome, drop, and heart shapes?
Which type of pearl can appear in symmetrical dome, drop, and heart shapes?
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What type of pearls are produced using mantle tissue nucleation, second-generation production, and coin-bead/spherical-bead production?
What type of pearls are produced using mantle tissue nucleation, second-generation production, and coin-bead/spherical-bead production?
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What is the term for one or more translucent colors that lie over a pearl's bodycolor?
What is the term for one or more translucent colors that lie over a pearl's bodycolor?
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What is a characteristic of keshi pearls?
What is a characteristic of keshi pearls?
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What is the term for the external layer of a pearl?
What is the term for the external layer of a pearl?
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What is the typical size of seed pearls?
What is the typical size of seed pearls?
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What type of material was used to string seed pearls in jewelry?
What type of material was used to string seed pearls in jewelry?
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What is the term for a pearl's ability to reflect light?
What is the term for a pearl's ability to reflect light?
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Which type of mollusk is commonly used to produce abalone pearls?
Which type of mollusk is commonly used to produce abalone pearls?
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What is the iridescent rainbow colors that shimmer on or just below a pearl’s surface ?
What is the iridescent rainbow colors that shimmer on or just below a pearl’s surface ?
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Which type of oysters are Akoya pearls from?
Which type of oysters are Akoya pearls from?
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Which type of oysters are South Sea pearls grown from?
Which type of oysters are South Sea pearls grown from?
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Which pearls are grown from Pinctada Margaritifera oysters?
Which pearls are grown from Pinctada Margaritifera oysters?
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What mussels do Fresh Water pearls grow from?
What mussels do Fresh Water pearls grow from?
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Study Notes
Pearl Value Factors
- Rarity of larger pearls makes them more valuable
- Pearl color in demand and rarity increases its value
- Cool water and clean environment during growth improve a pearl's luster
- Round is the rarest and most valuable cultured pearl shape
- Any cultured pearl of significant value must have acceptable nacre quality
Pearl Characteristics
- Blemishes are irregularities confined to a pearl's surface
- Circled pearl has one or more grooved or ridged rings all the way around
- Bodycolor is present in all pearls, with some having overtone or orient or both
- Overtone increases value and indicates thick, high-quality nacre
- Orient is a rare and desirable phenomenon
Pearl Sources
- Akoya pearls come from the "Pinctada fucata" or "Pinctada chemnitzii" oyster
- South Sea pearls come from the "Pinctada maxima" oyster
- Tahitian Pearls come from the "Pinctada margaritifera" oyster
- Fresh Water Pearls come from the "Hyriopsis cumingii" (triangle mussel) or "Hyriopsis schlegelii" (Biwa mussel), or a hybrid of both
- Soufflé pearls are large, lightweight baroque Chinese freshwater cultured pearls with high luster and wide color range, typically 11-14 mm in diameter
- Non-nacreous pearls come from the Queen conch, "Strombus gigas" (snail shell), and Melo Pearls come from the Melo Melo Sea snail
- Three basic methods to produce whole freshwater cultured pearls: mantle tissue nucleation, second-generation production, and coin-bead/spherical-bead (CBSB) production
Crystal Structure and Phenomena
- Flame Structure occurs in Orange melo pearls
- Overtone is one or more translucent colors that lie over a pearl's bodycolor
- Orient increases value for its beautiful, usually indicates thick, high-quality nacre
Natural and Cultured Pearls
- Natural pearl formation starts when a foreign object enters a pearl-bearing mollusk's shell and irritates its soft tissue
- Pearl culturing is an adaptation of the natural pearl formation process
- Saltwater cultured whole pearls grow from a mantle-tissue piece and a bead nucleus implanted in a host mollusk's gonad
- Freshwater cultured whole pearls are grown from mantle-tissue pieces implanted in a host mollusk's mantle
Colored Stones
- Pearls display bodycolor, with some showing overtone or orient or both
- Bodycolor can be neutrals (white, gray, black), near-neutrals (silver, cream, brown), or hues (all other colors)
- Nacre is composed of microscopic platelets of aragonite, crystallized form of calcium carbonate
- Non-nacreous pearls have aragonite crystals arranged in columns perpendicular to the pearl's surface
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Description
Learn about the key factors affecting pearl value, including rarity, color, luster, and blemishes. Understand how the GIA Pearl Description System works and what contributes to a pearl's quality. Test your knowledge of pearl processing and treatments.
