akoyas with odd problem

[stracci2000]

I was given a broken strand of akoyas that belonged to a friends mother, who passed away.
They are baroque/pear shaped, about 5-7 mm, and have a really nice pink/green orient.
They look to be quite old and the string was well worn. As I was re-stringing them, It seems that the mother of pearl nucleus in almost every one of them is loose and spins inside the nacre outer covering. How strange! I had to very delicately rotate each nucleus to line up the drill holes, to restring them. Has anyone ever seen this? Why would the nacre separate from the nucleus like that? What do you think?

 

[bsomlo]

Fascinating! I am not a stringer so can't answer your questions, but I did want to ask you to post some pictures. Do you have any idea when and where these were purchased?

 

[stracci2000]

Fascinating! I am not a stringer so can't answer your questions, but I did want to ask you to post some pictures. Do you have any idea when and where these were purchased?

I don't know anything about them. My friends mother, who was 79, had a great deal of high end jewelry, as well as costume. Many pieces were Art Deco, from HER mother. I was lucky enough to have aquired quite a few items, this being one of them. The drill holes are bigger than on more modern pearls, so I could easily see the nucleus moving loosely around in them. Some of the pearls were even cracking apart, because the nacre was not supported by anything. It's like the MOP nucleus shrunk somehow. I dont know if I can get a good enough photo, but I'll try

 

[Pattye]

Stracci2000,

I do string pearls professionally, and very occasionally come across a pearl with a rolling nucleus, but never (so far) as many as seems to be on your akoya strand. I have encountered this condition in both Tahitian and South Sea pearls. I have never heard a specific reason for it occurring. Because the nacre is so thick in these type of pearls I have no concerns that the wearability would be affected.

I seldom work with Akoya pearls, especially vintage, so it will be helpful to see your photos. If you have any of the mop beads left that are broken apart from the nacre or pearls showing damage, close up photos of this could be helpful also and interesting to see how thick the nacre is. It seems unlikely that the nucleus shrunk, but perhaps something else in the culturing process; I will ask a few peeps who might be more familiar with this problem.

I commend you for your patience in tenderly restringing your pearls.

 

[NacreLover]

Pattye, I thought I read they use material that expands and contracts at the same rate as the nacre when nucleating mollusks. Jeremy or someone on PG was talking about removing findings using hot water, the findings loosened but the bead and nacre were fine. If the farmer who created this akoya strand used some other type of bead to culture these pearls, perhaps this would account for the high level of failure. It would be interesting to have one sent in for identification of the interior.

 

[Pattye]

Pattye, I thought I read they use material that expands and contracts at the same rate as the nacre when nucleating mollusks. Jeremy or someone on PG was talking about removing findings using hot water, the findings loosened but the bead and nacre were fine. If the farmer who created this akoya strand used some other type of bead to culture these pearls, perhaps this would account for the high level of failure. It would be interesting to have one sent in for identification of the interior.

NacreLover, yes, I completely agree with you as to why mop is used for the nucleus so that it does expand and contract equally with nacre. OP identified the bead as mop, and does seem familiar with pearls, so unless photos indicate something different, I accept her identification. I am very much hoping for some good photos at this point. Of course, there is a possibility another kind of bead was used.

It might be that bacteria was introduced at time of nucleating, and slowly destroyed the fusion of nacre to bead. I believe an antibiotic or disinfectant is used on the mop beads at time of insertion currently. I don't know how long that has been done.

It also sounds like the pearls are still pretty and lustrous, so it would seem the problem started internally.

Where would you suggest OP send a bead for identification?

 

[Pattye]

P.S. Checking my reference books for info, but nothing has turned up so far.

 

[NacreLover]

I'm not suggesting a place to send it, just thinking out loud. Didn't Jeremy send a cut MOP in for identification when they were trying to find out if fireballs were nucleated with endangered giant clam nucleus. It would mean the OP sacrificing a pearl for our curiosity.

 

[periwinklegirl]

Stracci, I've encountered this too. In one of those lovely baroque aqua akoyas that Hisano brought back from Hong Kong last year. I think she mentioned that the pearl farmers had been keeping them in their safe?

I wasn't able to string mine. My jeweler had to glue the ball in place and then re-drill it for me. It took about an hour of fiddling to do it.
Now it's strung and I love it!

Stracci, I'm impressed that you're able to string yours!

Can we have a pic please?

 

[stracci2000]

I still have a broken pearl that came from this strand, and the nucleus is definately MOP. The MOP cracked in half as I was handling it just now. These pearls are really brittle. Age, I guess? 1930's-40's maybe. There was no clasp to help date them.
I think you all have a good idea of the loose nucleus the way I am describing it. I don't think I can get a good enough shot into the holes of the whole pearls to show you guys, since I already strung them. I had to look through a loupe to see into the holes in the first place!!
I appreciate the input from everyone.

 

[stracci2000]

I finally got a photo. I may re-string them with some type of spacer beads in between. The holes are of different sizes, and when I first strung them, the knots were slipping into the larger holes. So I didnt knot between the pearls. Sigh--I will have to re-do them soon.