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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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Research
Internal Structures of Known Pinctada maxima Pearls: Cultured Pearls from Operated Marine Mollusks
A selection of 74 non-bead cultured and 12 bead cultured pearls grown in cultured pearl sacs and harvested directly from operated mollusks were collected and their internal structures examined using real-time microradiography and X-ray computed microtomography analyses.
Pearl Classification: The GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors
Provides a visual guide to GIA’s approach to classifying and describing pearls.
Detection of Color Treatment and Optical Brightening in Chinese Freshwater “Edison” Pearls
Analyzes a group of 23 freshwater “Edison” pearls (a trade name referring to near-round freshwater cultured pearls, usually shell bead cultured) using various gemological and advanced instrumental techniques.
How to Calculate Color from Spectra of Uniaxial Gemstones
Presents a method for accurately predicting the color of a gem material when viewed in any direction as long as the polarized spectra and the viewing angle relative to the c-axis are known.
A Study on Improving the Surface Appearance of Low-Quality Pinctada maxima Bead Cultured Pearls
In this study, the Bangkok laboratory examined five low-quality bead cultured pearls sourced directly from a local pearl factory and characterized their features before and after processing.
Vietnam: Shell Nuclei, Pearl Hatcheries, and Pearl Farming
Reports on a visit to a shell nucleus manufacturer and two pearl farms in northern Vietnam, which is emerging as a notable producer.
Clam Chowder with a Side of Pearl
Recently, GIA’s laboratory in New York had the opportunity to examine a fascinating pearl find and hear about an even more fascinating story.
Optical Whitening and Brightening of Pearls: A Fluorescence Spectroscopy Study
Presents a study that suggests optically brightened pearls can be consistently separated from non-brightened pearls using fluorescence spectroscopy.
Effects of Mollusk Size on Growth and Color of Cultured Half-Pearls from Phuket, Thailand
Determines methods for maximizing production and quality of cultured half-pearls.
Gemstones in the Era of the Taj Mahal and the Mughals
A look at the gem ornamentation of this landmark, as well as the jewels of the Mughal dynasty.
Evidence of Rotation in Flame-Structure Pearls from Bivalves of the Tridacnidae Family
A study of these pearls to characterize their distinctive flame structure and examine the possibility of rotation during their formation or growth.
Provenance Discrimination of Freshwater Pearls by LA-ICP-MS and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA)
Investigates trace-element chemistry of freshwater natural pearls from North America and China with LA-ICP-MS and uses LDA to identify their origins.
