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Pearl

Perfect shining spheres. Lustrous baroque forms. Seductive strands, warm to the touch. Pearls are simply and purely organic.

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Beautiful Luster

Pearl’s special luster sets it apart from other gems.

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Perfect Sphere

Perfectly spherical pearls of excellent quality are extreme rarities.

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Smooth as Silk

Few pearls are completely blemish free.

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Gemstones

Pearl (427) Diamond (172) Sapphire (103) Ruby (92) Emerald (80) See All Gemstones

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Pearl (427)
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XClear Selections
Figure 1. Top: Four heart-shaped filled natural hollow pearls weighing 34.30, 52.75, 75.86, and 98.53 ct (from left to right). Bottom: The pearls exhibit red X-ray fluorescence of varying degrees. Photos by Gaurav Bera and Eram Shaikh.
Filled Natural Hollow Heart-Shaped Pearls

Eram Shaikh, Nishka Vaz, and Abeer Al-Alawi, February 2, 2026

Examination of four heart-shaped pearls reveals cavity filling and plugging to improve durability.

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Figure 1. An 8.98 ct white semi-baroque cultured pearl measuring 11.31 × 10.75 × 10.30 mm exhibiting dents and wrinkles on its surface. Photo by Hemal Trivedi.
An Unconventional Bead Cultured Saltwater Pearl

Pfokreni Nipuni, Abeer Al-Alawi, and Chunhui Zhou, February 2, 2026

A semi-baroque saltwater nacreous pearl presents identification challenges in the Mumbai laboratory.

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A 5.95 ct pink oval conch pearl exhibiting firework-like flame patterns. Photomicrograph by Hazel “Wing Kiu” Fan; field of view 5.98 mm.
Hanabi in a Conch Pearl

Hazel “Wing Kiu” Fan, February 2, 2026

A pink oval conch pearl displays firework-like flame patterns.

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Spiral pattern of nacre platelets observed in each polygon of the mosaic pattern. Photomicrograph by Nishka Vaz; field of view 0.5 mm.
Fingerprint Pattern on a “Hammered” Pearl’s Surface

Nishka Vaz and Abeer Al-Alawi, February 2, 2026

Spiral patterns of nacre platelets observed on the surface of a non-bead cultured pearl are reminiscent of fingerprints.

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Figure 1. An assembled black non-nacreous imitation pearl weighing 10.56 ct and measuring 12.23 × 11.87 × 10.78 mm. Photo by Gaurav Bera.
Assembled Black Imitation Pearl

Keaton Talker, Roxane Bhot Jain, and Abeer Al-Alawi, February 2, 2026

An undrilled black bead is identified as an assembled imitation pearl made from shell fragments.

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Figure 1. A dark gray and brown hollow natural pearl (2.89 ct, 11.13 × 10.47 × 10.16 mm) with a surface opening. The four fragments next to the pearl were recovered from its opening. Photos by Gaurav Bera.
Low-Heft Hollow Natural Pearl with an Opening

Nishka Vaz and Abeer Al-Alawi, November 17, 2025

Organic-rich material is observed through an opening in a hollow natural pearl.

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Figure 1. Two partially drilled button-shaped light cream assembled pearls weighing 7.40 and 9.37 ct, respectively, mounted in a pair of earrings. Photo by Gaurav Bera.
Two Assembled Pearls

Roxane Bhot Jain, Abeer Al-Alawi, and Chunhui Zhou, November 17, 2025

Natural pearl cores are used to simulate the appearance of natural pearl growth in two assembled pearls mounted in a pair of earrings.

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A non-nacreous 0.085 ct pearl with a unique netted surface resembling the exterior of a melon. Photomicrograph by Pfokreni Nipuni; field of view 4.0 mm.
“Melon” Pearl

Pfokreni Nipuni and Abeer Al-Alawi, November 17, 2025

A non-nacreous pearl with a netted surface resembles the exterior of a melon.

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Figure 1. The white imitation pearl measuring approximately 1.70 × 1.12 mm and weighing 0.01 ct. Photo by Gaurav Bera.
Imitation Seed Pearl with Blue X-Ray Fluorescence

Karan Rajguru, Anukul Belanke, and Abeer Al-Alawi, August 29, 2025

X-ray fluorescence screening is used to identify an imitation in a submission of more than 9,000 seed pearls.

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Figure 1. Polished and unpolished hinge ligaments with a Pinctada maxima shell. Photo by Annie Haynes.
Iridescent Gems Cut from Hinge Ligament of South Sea Pearl Oyster (Pinctada maxima)

Yusuke Katsurada, Artitaya Homkrajae, and Amiroh Steen, August 29, 2025

Biogenic material from a pearl oyster is used to produce a new eye-catching blue-green iridescent gem material.

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This Month's

Featured Gems

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Peridot

Found in lava, meteorites, and deep in the earth’s mantle, yellow-green peridot is the extreme gem.
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Fancy Color Diamond

Dazzling brilliance. Captivating color. These are the planet’s most valued gems.
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Diamond

Diamonds are among nature’s most precious and beautiful creations.
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Emerald

Emerald is the bluish green to green variety of beryl, a mineral species that includes aquamarine.
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Citrine

Citrine is the transparent, pale yellow to brownish orange variety of quartz.

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