Well, although we have not had many direct comments on our blog, we do have a tool that allows us to know how many daily visitors we have, it also tells us which posts have yielded a higher amount of visits and what people are searching for (keywords) before they “land” on our blog and, based on this, we can say that the favorite topic so far is the one about how to distinguish between real pearls (both cultured and natural) and imitation pearls or “faux perles” (such as ” Mallorca Pearls”). Therefore, we will continue discussing this issue and, once again, I invite you to submit your comments.
A New Option: The Pearl’s Drill-Hole
For those who have followed us through the pearl identification tests (e.g., the “Fire Test” or the “Water Test”) we will have a new option for you: the “Pearl’s Drill-hole Examination“. This method can be used mainly on pearls that have been drilled for their use in jewelry, so if the pearl has not been drilled yet we cannot use this method. On the other hand, imitation pearls always have their drill holes when sold (I have yet to find an imitation without a drill-hole, although I am certain they can manufacture them) so this in itself might be an indicator of the kind of pearl you have. A possible complication to this identification method might be the type of jewelry setting affixed to the pearl: some metal settings will not allow us to inspect the pearl’s drill hole.
How does this method work? Most of the false or imitation pearls contain some type of plastic (they are either wholly made of plastic or they have it on their outside), and fortunately for us this material has a very different behavior from nacre (the material pearls are made of), so this behavior is visually evident (in most cases) and allows us to distinguish between a true pearl and an imitation pearl. As an example, we have the photo of a mother-of-pearl button:
As you can see, the drill-hole on the button is very “clean”: it does not have any “swirls” or “flakes” or “burrs” (due to their similarity with metal shavings). We just have a “perfect drill-hole”: clean and straight. Let us now examine the drill-hole of a fake pearl…
Comparing drill-holes: true pearl vs. imitation pearl
Depending on the type of imitation, each type display different characteristics in their holes: with “swirls” being more prevalent in the more plastic-like fakes, or with a “big & bulgy” hole in the “Shell Pearl” brand, or with a very good drill-hole –similar to that of real pearls- in the “Majorica ” or “Mallorca” brand imitation pearls. In the latter case, the hole in the fake pearl is more like that of a pearl because the core of these imitations is made of glass or mother-of-pearl shell. Still, it is quite possible to see some “burr” around the drill-hole, the paint coming off in peels, especially when new.
Drill-Holes of various types of fake pearls. Top: 2 “Mallorca” pearls. Center: Philippine SSP imitation pearl and a “Shell pearl” black pearl imitation. Below: Australian SSP imitation “Pearl shell”.
Analyzing Pearl Jewelry:
The gold setting on this pearl does not allow us to examine its drill-hole.
In most cases pearls will be set on jewelry, either mounted on metal or wire- and we will want to apply this method to identify the pearl. Sometimes the metal setting will not allow us see the drill-hole, so the identification of the piece must be done using the “water test”, the “fire test” (we have covered both methods on this blog) or other methods that will be discussed in future posts.
In the case of bracelets, necklaces or strings of pearls, examination of the drill-hole is possible by applying pressure between the pearls on the string -in order to separate them- and being able to see their drill-holes (using a magnifying glass or lens, if necessary.) Finding knots between pearls can be a very good indicator of a pearl’s authenticity. Why? The knots are there in order to help you avoid losing your pearls in the event of the necklace/bracelet snaps or breaks… since the value of imitations is very low (when compared to high quality pearls), producers of fashion-jewelry save money by avoiding these knots in their items.
Colorful Mexican baroque pearl necklace: you can appreciate the knots between the pearls as well as some of the drill-holes.
Unfortunately, many freshwater pearl necklaces and bracelets do not have knots between their pearls, and this not because they are not “genuine pearls,” but because their value and quality does not make them worthy using knots. So, whenever possible, do examine the pearl’s drill-hole.
A string of "Mallorca Pearls” where you can see that there are no knots between the so-called-pearls and you can also notice some plastic shavings or “burrs” around the drill hole.
In our next installment we will discuss how to distinguish pearls using their external appearance, especially their color and texture.
With great pleasure and satisfaction we announce the presentation of three pearl necklaces for the year 2010. As with all previous pearl necklaces that have been produced in Mexico since our pearl farm started operations, these necklaces are made using pearls from several crops or pearl-harvests; for these 3 necklaces, we have used pearls from the 2010, 2009, 2008 and even 2007 crops. You need extreme patience in order to produce a good string of pearls.
What makes these necklaces so special? Well, they consist of pearls produced in Mexico’s Gulf of California, a region known worldwide for its pearls, and these are cultured using a limited-production (4 kilos) scheme, these are the only cultured pearls that are produced under the “Fair Trade Gems” standards, the only cultured pearls that are produced using a “winged pearl oyster”: the “Rainbow-Lip Pearl Oyster“ or Pteria sterna, thus they are the rarest cultured pearls produced in the world and they also display a pink-red fluorescence under long wave UV rays, and are some of the very few cultured pearls that do not receive any “embellishing” treatments (physical nor chemical) … there are many more things to say about how special these pearls are, but this is just to lay the basics.
What we now need to do is present these three strings of pearls from the 2010 edition:
Necklace 2010 – A
This one consists of a graduated necklace with a length of 20″ (50.8 cm), made with 49 baroque pearls with a size (diameter) of between 8.0 and 8.7 mm, using “B” grade “Cortez Pearls” (“B” grade means that there are skin imperfections on the pearl and that its luster is not very high), the central pearl measure 8.7 x 9.1 mm . However, with its light gray color, unique shapes and its iridescent pearls makes it a truly exceptional piece. It has a simple yellow 18 K gold brooch.
Pearl Necklace 2010 – B
This is an excellent pearl necklace when you consider its price:benefit. It is a baroque pearl necklace, but these pearls are soft baroques (not by human action), in short, although these pearls are asymmetrical shaped they posses very soft shapes that are almost spherical in appearance, thus they look “round” from a certain distance. It is quite uncommon for our Gulf of California cultured pearls to have a perfectly round shape (the reasons will be explained in a future post), thus our spherical shapes attain a far greater value than that of the most common shape: the asymmetric or baroque shapes-so this necklace achieves a relative low cost with great looks or “more bang for your bucks”.
This graduated multicolored 19″ (48.26 cm) pearl necklace consists of 51 baroque pearls with a size between 8.0 & 8.6 mm (diameter) and made with “A” and “A+” grade pearls (this means very good natural luster and a clean pearl surface) of exceptional colors. The result is a rainbow-like necklace with red, green, blue gray, black and purple pearls … As with the previous necklace, it features a plain 18K yellow gold brooch.
Special Edition “Bicentennial” 2010 Pearl Necklace
This is a truly a unique Cortez Pearl necklace, a piece of jewelry fit for a Queen and truly something that very few can own. We’ve placed this necklace at the same level of delicacy -for want of a better word- as some of our finest necklaces such as “Stella Maris” (2009) and “Bohéme” (2008). The central pearl is a gorgeous purple pearl (11.6 mm) with incredible green overtones (obtained from the 2010 harvest).
This 19″ (48 cm) graduated multi-colored pearl necklace consists of 49 near-round Sea of Cortez Cultured Pearls with sizes between 8.7 and 11.6 mm (diameter), and was made using the only “A+” and “Gem” grade pearls, featuring the most intensely colored pearls available, the highest natural luster and the best surface (“skin”) purity possible using only non-treated pearls. This necklace does not include a clasp, since the buyer usually acquires a specially made clasp for such a unique piece.
So far we have named this necklace as “Bicentennial” (Mexico turns 200 years old as an Independent country this year) but this name will be changed by the owner: in the purest pearling tradition these unique necklaces are named or are “christened” in the manner of other famous necklaces or Pearls of old. In today’s world, the vast majority of necklaces produced do not even deserve a nickname… but high quality pearls with a limited production are still worthy of this distinction.
Where are the other Cortez Pearl Necklaces?
Since our Bacochibampo Bay farm started producing loose cultured pearls in the year 2000, we have only managed to produce eight special pearl necklaces -with characteristics similar to those of the “Bicentennial” necklace- and we have always wanted for these to remain in Mexico, but this has not always been possible. So where are these necklaces? Here’s the list:
- 3 necklaces in Mexico, including the three most perfect and beautiful: “Stella Maris”, “Bohéme” and “Balandra.”
- 2 in the United States of America (“Maria” and “Isabella”)
- 1 in Italy
- 1 in New Zealand
Understandably, the owners remain anonymous. In the case of “Bohéme” it had the distinction of appearing in the book “Pearls” by gemologists Hubert Bari and David Lam, a book where the authors state (on page 86) the following about the “Sea of Cortez Pearl”: “It is perhaps the most beautiful pearl to have been cultured up to now” (Hubert Bari & David Lam. 2010. Pearls. Skira . Italy. 336 pages).
Where will the “Bicentennial” spend its Time? What will be its final name? That will be known soon …so, stay tuned!
