◂ 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
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.
Three Unique Large Natural Pearls from Haliotis (Abalone) Species
Abalone pearls submitted to the New York lab provide insight into the range of colors and shapes this type of mollusk can produce.
Assembled Cultured Blister Pearl with an Unusual Component
An assembled mabe pearl contains a fluted object, the function of which is unknown.
GIA Field Gemologists Visit Pearl Farms Near Mergui, Myanmar
Dip beneath Myanmar’s waters in search of South Sea cultured pearls with GIA’s field gemologists.
Nonbead-Cultured Pearls from Strombus Gigas
Advances in pearl culturing are seen in a parcel of specimens from Strombus gigas gastropods.
