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Keshi Pearls
Keshi pearls are formed by the oyster rejecting and spitting out the implanted irritant before the culturing process is complete. Because they have no nucleus, keshi pearls vary widely in shape and colour and, being 100% nacre, are especially lustrous and shiny. This makes them an especially beautiful gem to be used in handmade and designer jewellery. In fact, most keshi have greater lustre than even the best-quality cultured pearls. Visit Astley Clarke's Keshi Pearl Jewellery. They can form in either saltwater or freshwater and are generally quite small in size.
Although the mollusc rejects the nucleus of its own accord, keshis are not classified as natural pearls because they are a bi-product of the culturing process, not a natural occurrence from the beginning.
Once upon a time, keshi pearls, especially of the Tahitian and South Sea variety, were a cheap option, despite being beautiful and unique, because they formed relatively often. Nowadays however, as culturing technology has advanced, South Sea and Tahitian pearls are being x-rayed to see whether the nucleus has been rejected. If it has been, it is then re-inserted before a keshi pearl has a chance to form. This has made keshi pearls far rarer than they used to be and thus increasingly expensive.
The word ‘keshi’ means ‘poppy seed’ in Japanese, presumably describing their erratic shape, and as a result these pearls are often referred to as ‘poppy seed pearls’.
Visit Astley Clarke's Pearl Jewellery Collection.
Although the mollusc rejects the nucleus of its own accord, keshis are not classified as natural pearls because they are a bi-product of the culturing process, not a natural occurrence from the beginning.
Once upon a time, keshi pearls, especially of the Tahitian and South Sea variety, were a cheap option, despite being beautiful and unique, because they formed relatively often. Nowadays however, as culturing technology has advanced, South Sea and Tahitian pearls are being x-rayed to see whether the nucleus has been rejected. If it has been, it is then re-inserted before a keshi pearl has a chance to form. This has made keshi pearls far rarer than they used to be and thus increasingly expensive.
The word ‘keshi’ means ‘poppy seed’ in Japanese, presumably describing their erratic shape, and as a result these pearls are often referred to as ‘poppy seed pearls’.
Visit Astley Clarke's Pearl Jewellery Collection.
