◂ BACK TO GEM ENCYCLOPEDIA
Pearl
Perfect shining spheres. Lustrous baroque forms. Seductive strands, warm to the touch. Pearls are simply and purely organic.
See Gem As
Tools
Research
Dyed Yellow Beaded Freshwater Cultured Pearls Imitating South Sea Cultured Pearls
A yellow cultured pearl necklace is compared to the work of a producer specializing in freshwater pearls of all colors.
Partially Hollow Tridacna Blister Pearls with Shells Attached
Blister pearls attached to shells are seen in both the Bangkok and New York laboratories.
Continuity and Change in Chinese Freshwater Pearl Culture
Farmers have experimented with bead nucleation, but until recently the methods tried did not produce the quantity or quality necessary for economic success.
The Lure of American Freshwater Pearls: Revisiting the Latendresse Family
John Latendresse is known as the father of American cultured pearls. He was also a great natural pearl collector and left his family a remarkable natural pearl collection. The Latendresse family is well recognized in the American pearl industry and has long supported GIA pearl research. Come with us to revisit this family and their pearl collection.
Pinctada maculata (Pipi) Bead-Cultured Blister Pearls Attached to Their Shells
A study on four Pinctada maculata cultured blister pearls originating from Penrhyn Island.
Atypical “Beading” in the Production of Cultured Pearls from Australian Pinctada maxima
In 2011, the authors began to see cases of low-quality natural pearls being used as unconventional “beads” for cultured nacre growth.
Non-Nacreous Purple and White Pearls Reportedly from Spondylus Species
Examination of pearls with a dominant purple hue, reportedly from the Spondylus calcifer mollusk.
Bead-Cultured and Non-Bead-Cultured Pearls from Lombok, Indonesia
Documents the retrieval and testing of P. maxima cultured pearls from a Lombok hatchery.
Iridescent Spondylus Pearl
Iridescence is seen in a porcelaneous pearl examined at the Carlsbad laboratory.
A Natural Pearl with an Intriguing Internal Structure
A semi-baroque pearl with an unusual radial feature is submitted to the Bangkok lab for testing.
Large Natural Fossil Blister Pearls from Tridacna (Giant Clam) Species
Two blister pearls attached to a host shell believed to have fossilized during the later Pleistocene period and discovered in southeastern Kenya are studied.
Two Large Natural Pearls Reportedly from Spondylus and Trochoidea Species Mollusks
Natural pearls of unusual size and unique appearance are retrieved from the west coast of Mexico and examined in GIA’s New York lab.
