Hi Ashley,

Thanks again! I really do appreciate all of your help.   

When you say that the pearl is “rather intense”, do you mean that in a good way? It doesn’t matter because I’m “all in” with this one. I’m just curious what a “pro” thinks.

I’m excited about the wedding and will let you know what she thinks! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

-RT

 

Dear RT,

The thing about pearls is that they usually remain within the pastel ranges of any color chart- that is, their coloration is naturally diffused due to the way that the gem is created i.e. layers upon thousands of layers of microscopic aragonite platelets (measuring in the microns- they are very tiny!) which are basically crystallized calcium (CaCo3), bonded together with a brownish organic “glue”, properly named conchiolin- the resulting structure is similar to that of a very dense onion, although the aragonite platelets are all staggered- like a brick wall. 

The inner “glow” and the visual phenomena of luster and orient are all effects that are caused by the construction of the pearl- how these layers were secreted by the mollusk (which include various factors like the health of the animal, the timing of the harvest, environmental concerns, and water temperature, etc.- it gets extremely involved as I am sure you can tell!), and how light interacts with not only the surface of the pearl, but how it penetrates all these layers, plays and bounces around inside the prismatic chamber of the pearl and bounces right back out again at the viewer. How you perceive these various aspects of the pearl- the sharpness of the luster, the intensity of color saturation, the intensity of orient, etc., dictates how you can talk about them, and review their qualities individually. 

From the attributes that are visually accessible on your pearl, we can deduce that your pearl has a very “tight” formation of crystalline layers- this might be due to the relative age of the oyster, or due to the water temperature during the last few months before harvest… Colder temps will slow down an oyster’s metabolism, which has a direct effect on how quickly nacre deposition happens over the nucleus of the pearl- the slower the rate, the tighter the crystal layers. Japanese Akoya pearls are famous for their razor sharp reflections- the waters are colder than their Chinese counterparts, and it’s also part of the reason that most of the “exotics” like your Tahitian pearl, or the larger White and Golden South Sea pearls are typically described as “satiny”- visually they are pastel(ish), with a slightly fuzzy luster- light sources reflected in their surfaces will be somewhat to definitely blurred for the majority of pearls that are harvested. Very thick nacre layers also play a part here, but that’s another story… 

So, to answer your question, yes- Intense Is Good!! And actually, rather rare when you consider the vast amount of pearls that usually are described in pastel terminology. The pearl you are getting is highly saturated with an intense greenish-blue overtone with a nearly black body color (in itself pretty rare- most Tahitians reside in the charcoal grey to dove grey ranges), with highly reflective luster- what we usually call metallic. 

When you get the pendant, I would highly recommend setting the pearl against a stark white background under in-direct sunlight: mid-morning is usually the best time for a “true” white light from the sun, and take a few minutes to let your eyes soak in the various colors that are playing on the surface- there’s a lot more there than meets the eye! The stark white paper background will enhance some of the more subtle colors not usually picked up by the human eye, and really, just take a moment or two to let the pearl “wake up” and start to sparkle. I think you’ll be extremely pleased with what you begin to see, and sharing this pearl’s secrets with your fiancé will be yet one more wonderful, natural thing you two can share over the years. J 

I hope that this pearl will find a home today! Good luck on your wedding day, and do keep us in mind for the future- I am always happy to hear from returning clients and will do my best to offer you the very finest pearls along with the very best service 8 days a week! 

Have an excellent day, and if I can be of further assistance please don’t hesitate to contact me at anytime. 

Very Sincerely, 

Ashley McNamara

General Manager & Gal Friday

PurePearls.com