Natural White Hanadama - Are They Bleached?

[BWise]

Recently I bought a strand of Natural White Hanadama from PP, and has been very much in love with it. "They are so beautiful that they look fake," says my girlfriend.

The certificate says the nacre thickness is 0.5mm. I literally stared at a ruler for a while to understand what does that entail. That started my research on Akoya durability and I learned there is not much to worry about wearing my Akoya, as long as I am careful about it.

Then I came across this other question: are natural white Hanadama bleached?

Clearly they are not pinked, but according to a few reliable sources (including an article on kojimapearl.com), almost all Akoya pearls are bleached to look white.

The certificate of my natural white says "No evidence of color addition is recognized". In an old post on the other forum, Jeremy (PP's owner) said that "natural white Hanadama are not bleached, not pinked".

(I finally figured out what is the "other pearl forum" that everyone talked about, and learned quit a bit there. )

I am confused. My strand is white, very white (see picture below) and every pearl has the same color, which leads me to believe they were bleached.

Can some experts please help to clear the myth?

 

[BWise]

Here are the pictures I took today, on white background

 

[ckrickett]

If I am correct, Natural white from PP do not go through the pinking process that most of not all other Akoya pearls go through

 

[ckrickett]

Here are some photos I lifted from the other forum to show you a side by side.

 

[BWise]

Hi ckrickett, thanks for the comparison pictures!

I know natural whites are not "pinked", I want to know if they are bleached?

 

[dk168]

No they are not bleached, as fully disclosed in PP's listing for a natural white Hanadama strand (that's how I interpreted the information):

http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-1116-85-90-mm-natural-white-hanadama-akoya-pearl-necklace.aspx

If in doubt, contact PP and ask them to clarify.

DK

 

[BWise]

No they are not bleached, as fully disclosed in PP's listing for a natural white Hanadama strand (that's how I interpreted the information):

http://www.pearlparadise.com/p-1116-85-90-mm-natural-white-hanadama-akoya-pearl-necklace.aspx

If in doubt, contact PP and ask them to clarify.

DK

DK，this is the exact link that I bought my strand from. How did I miss that in the first place - my stubborn brain keeps telling me "natural white = no pinking"

I read the description again, and it clearly states:
"The pearls in this line have each been hand-selected from freshly harvested pearls for their naturally white body colors and intense natural luster, with just a hint of rose. The pearls have not been color-treated in any way."

So they are not bleached, you just made my day! My pearls are so white that they glow with green/silver hues, I love them.

 

[BWeaves]

I also have a strand of natural white Hanadamas from PP, and they are stunning. My best pearls.

My good friends have also told me that they look fake. I guess that means that nobody will try to steal them.

They told me that my Freshadamas look real, though. Too funny.

People are so used to low quality pearls, that they don't really know what the good stuff looks like.

 

[BWise]

Have an update on this topic.

I was chatting with Mia from PP (she is such a darling!) on Friday so I asked her. She said, natural white Hanadama are not "Pinked"; however, ALL AKOYA ARE BLEACHED to remove oyster tissue. And she thinks "Pinking" makes no difference in the speed of pearl yellowing.

So the myth has been cleared. I still prefer natural white over 'pinked'

 

[pearlsngems]

I just posted on the other forum to ask Jeremy directly. Will update.

 

[ennui]

Have an update on this topic.

I was chatting with Mia from PP (she is such a darling!) on Friday so I asked her. She said, natural white Hanadama are not "Pinked"; however, ALL AKOYA ARE BLEACHED to remove oyster tissue. And she thinks "Pinking" makes no difference in the speed of pearl yellowing.

So the myth has been cleared. I still prefer natural white over 'pinked'

It sounds to me like the experts are using "bleached" to mean cleaned, as opposed to bleached-to-make-white. I look forward to more clarification.

 

[pearlsngems]

Okay, so Jeremy said that his natural white hanadamas do not go through traditional bleaching and pinking.

He added, "all akoya pearls go through maeshori, which does remove impurities and even stains, but that and bleaching are two very different processes."

So-- maeshori, yes; traditional bleaching and pinking, no.

 

[NacreLover]

I just spoke to Hisano about this and she said the same thing. Maeshori cleaning no bleaching.

 

[Pirard]

Here is a link to an interesting article regarding treatments of pearls...note the section on maeshori http://www.jewellerytechnology.com/education/Treatment_done_on_Pearls.php

 

[NacreLover]

By the way, These special natural white pearls are purchased from the source so they know what treatment or lack of has been done to them.

 

[Pirard]

NacreLover, you make an excellent point! Nothing is worth it's weight in pearls as a trusted source...and knowing what treatments are acceptable and disclosing them honestly should be an industry standard. Glad that the valued vendors like PoJ, PP, and PureP among others, help educate everyone.