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Pearls smell?

MakingTheGrade

MakingTheGrade

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Mar 2, 2009
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So I got a bunch of circle Tahitians which I love. But noticed just now that the smell faintly of manure. Yuck. I bought them from a wholesaler so maybe the smell is related to being too fresh from the farm.

Any ideas how to get rid of the smell?
 
This suggestion was posted recently (see post #5):

Is there a way to get perfume out of pearls?

I have inherited a strand of pearls that my mother wore and evidently doused in perfume. I cannot tolerate perfume. Is there a way to get the smell out without damaging the pearls?
www.pricescope.com
 
Activated charcoal all the way. Works wonders anywhere near a cat litter box as well. I have jars of it that I cycle out.
 
Can I just buy that on amazon?
Any kind soul care to share a link? There are so many options!
 
MakingTheGrade said:
So I got a bunch of circle Tahitians which I love. But noticed just now that the smell faintly of manure. Yuck. I bought them from a wholesaler so maybe the smell is related to being too fresh from the farm.

Any ideas how to get rid of the smell?
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Oh poo (no pun intended)
 
When you say manure ......?
Hmmmmmm ?
Like something not overly offensive like sheep or cow or horse ? (I mean they eat grass)

Or is it more potent like pig (oh God the worst - it purminates your hair and the pores of the skin) my freind's husband ran about 500 pigs - their sheep dog that doubled as a pig herder dog used to smell so bad (still a lovelly and clever loyal and much loved dog)

or is the stink more pure carnivore lile cat or dog (gross me out) ?
Have you ever trod on hedgehog poo - not good either

One time i was in town shopping on my lunch break
Poo - some smelly people were around
Got back to work to discover it was me - i had trod in dog poo and had ow walked it into the mat behind the counter
I have more stories like this if you want .....

Ive spent a lot of time in the country
Sheep and cow poo is the smell of money
Not the desired smell of fine pearls
Ewww i hope it doesn't smell like chook poo

The time i left a bag of shells in the Jeep while it sat in the garage till the following weekend - Gary thought we must have left half eatten fish and chips in there
Thank goodness we could take the top off and drive around to air her out

Maybe sting the pearls and take them out for a drive !!! ... i mean hang them so they get some air around them

This smell of the pearls could be a lot worse ?
 
The pearls are so pretty, I hope this passes quickly!
 
I remember being informed by the likes of Jeremy and Kevin of PP and POJ fame, that organic matters can be trapped inside puffy/soufflé pearls while they are being formed, for them to die/deteriorate, and give off foul smells when they drill into the pearls.

These pearls would need to be drained and flushed with water in order to remove their foul-smelling contents.

With circled pearls, I wonder if bacteria and/or other micro-organisms have been trapped in the grooves and crevices and not properly removed.

DK :))
 
dk168 said:
I remember being informed by the likes of Jeremy and Kevin of PP and POJ fame, that organic matters can be trapped inside puffy/soufflé pearls while they are being formed, for them to die/deteriorate, and give off foul smells when they drill into the pearls.

These pearls would need to be drained and flushed with water in order to remove their foul-smelling contents.

With circled pearls, I wonder if bacteria and/or other micro-organisms have been trapped in the grooves and crevices and not properly removed.

DK :))
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I’m going to try the charcoal idea. And if that doesn’t work I have a waterpik!
 
One thing not to do is soak them. A pearl loving friend soaked her smelly Tahitian pearls and a film formed over them. :???:
 
It is as likely to be something soaked into the silk if the pearls are 'normal' shapes.
I've met a few really stinky gas pearls in my time though. (they are like naturally formed soufflé pearls)
 
Pearlescence said:
It is as likely to be something soaked into the silk if the pearls are 'normal' shapes.
I've met a few really stinky gas pearls in my time though. (they are like naturally formed soufflé pearls)
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They came loose and drilled so not the silk in this case.

Haha “gas” pearl sounds so much less chic than “soufflé”.
 
IMO, returun them and say they smell like poo. Ask the vendor to send you another non smelly pair. This sounds like something they would have known about. It is difficult to NOT notice rotting bio materials in items likely stored in sealed boxes at least temporarily. And bio smells are something that are likely permanent unless you potentially destroy the pearls. This is just my experience with marine invertebrates.
 
LightBright said:
IMO, returun them and say they smell like poo. Ask the vendor to send you another non smelly pair. This sounds like something they would have known about. It is difficult to NOT notice rotting bio materials in items likely stored in sealed boxes at least temporarily. And bio smells are something that are likely permanent unless you potentially destroy the pearls. This is just my experience with marine invertebrates.
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It’s a whole necklace and bracelet set with colors that I was looking for so returning and replacing them isn’t something easy to do unfortunately. And I honestly love the pearls and the smell currently is quite faint. I basically have to have it in my nostril haha.

Will have activated charcoal in a few days and will report back.

Ah the quirks of an organic gemstone. Never had to worry about smells with my diamonds or colored gems!
 
Pearls are seen as so classy and elegant, so to hear about this is so strange & opposite to their meaning & significance.

Hope you rid them of this smell quickly! I don't think I could wear them if I knew they smelt up close! Come on activated charcoal!!!
 
LemonMoonLex said:
Pearls are seen as so classy and elegant, so to hear about this is so strange & opposite to their meaning & significance.

Hope you rid them of this smell quickly! I don't think I could wear them if I knew they smelt up close! Come on activated charcoal!!!
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Apparently it’s pretty common with keshi and baroque shapes. I imagine akoya don’t have this problem given the maeshori that they undergo.
 
MakingTheGrade said:
Apparently it’s pretty common with keshi and baroque shapes. I imagine akoya don’t have this problem given the maeshori that they undergo.
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I've been ordering and opening the pearl clams/oysters myself for my daughter since she was little and besides the amonia or whatever strong smell they soak them in (they're just generic freshwater pearls) they do have this stink to them but luckily soapy water got rid of and they also aren't drilled obviously!
 
LemonMoonLex said:
Pearls are seen as so classy and elegant, so to hear about this is so strange & opposite to their meaning & significance.

Hope you rid them of this smell quickly! I don't think I could wear them if I knew they smelt up close! Come on activated charcoal!!!
Click to expand...

What a glorious green gem in your ring. Is it an emerald?
 
LemonMoonLex said:
I've been ordering and opening the pearl clams/oysters myself for my daughter since she was little and besides the amonia or whatever strong smell they soak them in (they're just generic freshwater pearls) they do have this stink to them but luckily soapy water got rid of and they also aren't drilled obviously!
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It's usually poisonous formaldehyde. Please don't go anywhere near these pearl opening things. Buy your pearls from a pearl supplier. Cheaper and better quality.
 
MakingTheGrade said:
It’s a whole necklace and bracelet set with colors that I was looking for so returning and replacing them isn’t something easy to do unfortunately. And I honestly love the pearls and the smell currently is quite faint. I basically have to have it in my nostril haha.

Will have activated charcoal in a few days and will report back.

Ah the quirks of an organic gemstone. Never had to worry about smells with my diamonds or colored gems!
Click to expand...

If i lived next door, with love in my heart I'd say, lend them to me for a week (i promise to be really careful and gentle with them) and ill wear the smell out for you
Kind of like how Angela Kelly wears in the Queen's new shoes
 
MakingTheGrade said:
Apparently it’s pretty common with keshi and baroque shapes. I imagine akoya don’t have this problem given the maeshori that they undergo.
Click to expand...

....googerling maeshori
 
Bummer - hope they start smellin' fresh soon!
 
Pearlescence said:
It's usually poisonous formaldehyde. Please don't go anywhere near these pearl opening things. Buy your pearls from a pearl supplier. Cheaper and better quality.
Click to expand...

Just looked it up and apparently a lot of the ones available to the public for purchase contain formaldehyde that can cause cancer. Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention! I will never purchase one again!

Luckily I've only purchased them about three different times overseas but I've ordered like 4 at a time so that's enough exposure to have caused a lot of irritation. One lab said one of the Akoya oysters tested positive for it and found that it accounted for 7.7% of the oyster. That's a lot! Others they tested were negative but it's like playing Russian roulette.

& I've only purchased them for the fun of opening, they're not pearls that I would ever use for jewelry. I clean them off and my daughter has kept them in this little wooden box.
 
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LemonMoonLex said:
Just looked it up and apparently a lot of the ones available to the public for purchase contain formaldehyde that can cause cancer. Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention! I will never purchase one again!

Luckily I've only purchased them about three different times overseas but I've ordered like 4 at a time so that's enough exposure to have caused a lot of irritation. One lab said one of the Akoya oysters tested positive for it and found that it accounted for 7.7% of the oyster. That's a lot! Others they tested were negative but it's like playing Russian roulette.

& I've only purchased them for the fun of opening, they're not pearls that I would ever use for jewelry. I clean them off and my daughter has kept them in this little wooden box.
Click to expand...

They might still be ok once they have been out in the air for a while
Formaldehyde is in lots of things
Always wash fabric and clothes before wearing them
 
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