What is a Keshi Pearl?
"Keshis" are the dominant type of baroque pearls in the market today. The term is derived from the Japanese word for “poppyseed”; it was originally used to describe small seed-size pearls found as byproducts of Japanese cultured pearls.
The three ways Keshi pearls develop are as follows:
During nucleation, loose epithelial cells accidentally find their way inside the mollusk and a small ‘keshi” pearl forms.
During nucleation, the mother of pearl bead nucleus is implanted along with a graft of mantle tissue. The bead nucleus is rejected but the graft tissue remains; resulting in the formation of a larger Keshi Pearl.
The bold new Keshi a result of a second harvest. In some cases, the pearls are harvested delicately, while care is taken not to sacrifice the living mollusk. Then, the live mollusk is returned to the pearl farm and allowed to grow a second harvest of pearls. The original pearl sac is filled with a nacre secretion and second harvest is born.
The Second Harvest
This is the most interesting new development in the pearl market. An example of a second harvest keshi is the product we call the petal pearls (a.k.a. cornflake pearls)-we like petal better. This new and exciting keshi is the result of returning the freshwater mussel to the water after harvesting coin pearls. The sack from which the coin pearl was taken then sometimes forms the petal pearl. This product is very limited and the strong market acceptance is what always makes the pearl business interesting.
Petal Pearl Necklaces
(click on picture for more information)
 |
 |
 |
Branch Pearl Necklaces
(click on picture for more information)
|
|
|
