“Goose Bumps” on South Sea Pearl
“Goose bumps” on the surface of a 12 mm golden South Sea pearl. Photomicrograph by Le Ngoc Nang; field of view 5 mm.
Pearls occasionally develop marks on their surface during formation. Recently, when examining a strand of cultured golden South Sea pearls approximately 12 mm in diameter, we discovered a pearl covered with innumerable pinpoints resembling a dotted pattern similar to that of goose bumps when viewed under the gemological microscope (see above). When present, pinpoints such as these usually only occur sporadically on the surface of South Sea and Tahitian pearls, but the densely covered surface in this pearl is extremely rare. Interestingly, despite their high density, these inclusions had little effect on the luster and quality of the pearl when viewed without magnification, allowing the pearl to maintain its beauty and high value.
