Metallic FW studs 8 - 8.5 mm, why so heavy?

[nojs]

I just bought a gorgeous pair of metallic white freshwater studs (8 - 8.5 mm) from Pearls of Joy. I have AAA fresh water studs which are around 7.5 mm, which feel less than half of the weight of the metallics.

Can the knowledgeable members of the forum tell me why the metallic studs are so heavy?

 

[nojs]

Pictures, taken with my mobile.

 

[Pearlescence]

Because the volume increases a lot when there is a 1mm increase in diameter

 

[pearlsngems]

Right-- an 8.5mm pearl is about 46% larger by volume than a 7.5mm pearl, so also 46% heavier. This is math.

However that isn't the only reason it would feel heavier or sag when actually on the ear. Physics plays a part as well. The larger studs, being spheres, protrude outward from your earlobe farther than the smaller ones do. Even a small increase of 1mm in the distance from the axis of rotation (i.e. your earlobe) increases torque (rotational force). Gravity pulls downward on all studs, but the rotational force is greater when the stud protrudes farther out from the ear. This is why larger spherical studs are much more likely to sag.

If it bothers you, I suggest you buy button shaped studs. Even studs that are the same weight won't feel as heavy on the ear or sag as much because they lie flatter on your ear, so there is less torque.

Or wear larger earring backs to stabilize the stud and prevent sagging.

 

[nojs]

Thank you Perlescence and pearlsngems! Should have thought about that. So the only option to have less heavy studs is to go smaller.

 

[Pearlescence]

I'm sure you will soon get used to the new studs. I happily wear 15.5mm rounds with big backs and I don't do any especial ear lobe weight training

 

[katbran]

One thing to try is a large pearl with a button shape..flattish at the back. The buttons sit nicely on your ear..they look large but there is less volume and less weight. So the 8.5 buttons will most likely be more comfortable that the rounds.

 

[ennui]

I think the OP just saved herself a ton of money on Tahitians and South Sea pearls, which are heavier than freshwaters.

 

[NacreLover]

Exactly what I was thinking Ennui. Most of us wear pearls much larger and don't even feel them on the ear.

 

[nojs]

You were right, I got used to them

I also started looking for some button shaped ones (FW). The only problem I now have is that I'd like get pearls that have not been treated. I read at another forum that all white freshwater ones are bleached and all white akoya are pinked on top of bleaching. Even white natural hadamana akoyas are treated. I believe my options are Tahitians or natural color freshwater. Is this correct?

 

[pearlsngems]

nojs, I finally saw your post on the other forum and replied there.

 

[Tucs]

You were right, I got used to them

I also started looking for some button shaped ones (FW). The only problem I now have is that I'd like get pearls that have not been treated. I read at another forum that all white freshwater ones are bleached and all white akoya are pinked on top of bleaching. Even white natural hadamana akoyas are treated. I believe my options are Tahitians or natural color freshwater. Is this correct?

My understanding is that white natural hanadama akoya sold by PP are not bleached or pinked, they just go through maeshori process, which is not bleaching. I do not know if other vendors sell white natural hanadama akoya, and whether in that case they are bleached or not.

 

[nojs]

Tucs: I understood that maeshori process can in fact mean all sorts of things, including a mild bleach, but I could be mistaken. In any case there seems to be a difference on the amount of treatment between those pearls that go through maeshori and those that are "100 % natural" (like many Tahitians). At least this is what I have understood reading different forums and the pearl books I have in my library.

 

[nojs]

Pearlsngems: Thank you so much! I have one more question (for now)

I went to see some Mikimoto pearls at an authorized dealer. They were gorgeous, but looked very "pinked" to me. My new Metallic FW pearls looked totally different color in comparison. I asked the salesperson if they have been through a process of "pinking" and she said they are "completely natural and untreated". I then went and emailed Mikimoto, and got the following reply: "All our pearls, including Akoya pearls are not treated and all colours are natural. The pink colour that characterise these beautiful pearls comes from the mantel tissue which is part of the oyster." But they look totally pinked (all identical in color and overtones).

 

[pearlsngems]

I'm not in the pearl business, but I understand that the bleaching and pinking is a routine and undisclosed pre-treatment done to akoyas.

In other words, Mikimoto can tell you the pearls are untreated, because they are "pre-treated", not "treated". Customer service reps typically tell the customer the company line. Akoya pearls straight out of the shell are usually a less desirable color, hence the bleaching and pinking. I suspect few white pearls would be sold without the pre-treatment. The Natural White Hanadamas are the exception.

Provided the pre-treatment is done well, the pearls will not be damaged and their durability won't be affected. The vendors know from experience which factories treat the pearls as they should. Go with a trusted vendor and you won't end up with overbleached pearls, if you want white ones.

As to the metallic whites, mine look different, too. Maybe they are bleached but not pinked.

 

[nojs]

Pearlsngems: thanks again for your excellent info, it is much appreciated!

I just don't get the "pre-treatment". To me, it is like calling heat-only sapphire "completely natural and untreated", because that is the "industry standard". But I'm glad there are (still) options. For me those would be colored FWP, blue Akoyas and (small) Tahitians for earrings and WSS (that have not gone through Japan), Sea of Cortez and GSS (which are not dyed) for strands

 

[nojs]

Mine definitely are not pinked But at the Mikimoto dealer, there were some super nice AAA white FWP, which looked almost identical to the Mikimoto AA and AAA Akoyas (except for the price...). They looked pinked in the same way as the Akoyas, which really made me wonder that there must be an identical process behind it. I then remembered that my AAA white FWPs _used to_ look like that when I bought them, but do not any more. This in one of the reasons I don't wan't my pearls "tampered" in any way (maeshori, bleaching, pinking...).

 

[nojs]

I find this explanation of the maeshori the most helpful (posted by Jeremy of Pearl Paradise elsewhere on the Internet):

"Maeshori has a lot of meanings now. It is a Japanese word that literally means before (mae) treatment (shori). It is a treatment used on all akoya, freshwater and some South Sea. Maeshori treatments vary from factory to factory, but Karin is more or less correct in what it does. It tightens the nacre and pulls moisture out, which will enhance the luster but also make the nacre more brittle. In freshwater, pearls that have been over-treated will turn chalky in short order.

Maeshori with South Sea pearls is a very common treatment in Japan. It makes the pearls whiter, brighter, and more salable. It isn't a necessary treatment, in my opinion. Joseph Taylor from Atlas does sell his treated, and his pearls are beautiful. Other producers, like Kakuda growing in Indonesia, universally treat their South Sea, but they also disclose the maeshori."

If Maeshori makes the pearls whiter, there much be some sort of bleaching involved.

 

[pearlsngems]

If you read earlier in the thread on the other forum, maeshori is discussed more. Maeshori and bleaching are different processes.

 

[nojs]

Now I'm hooked I just bought 8.5 - 9 mm Tahitians studs today

 

[Siameseroo]

They look lovely on you! Where are they from?

 

[nojs]

Than you! They are from a local atelier goldsmith/jeweler. The owner gets them for a German dealer who gets them directly from Tahiti. They are set with 18 K yellow gold findings and the price was really good (235 euros).

I love how they look different in different lighting. When I bought them they look silvery grey, in the pictures they look even a little brownish and this morning when I looked in the bathroom mirror they looked green