tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post6979665563303445825..comments2024-03-28T03:40:29.423-04:00Comments on Passage des Perles: Pearl chocolatesDuchessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-68623109825369388322012-05-06T10:28:45.195-04:002012-05-06T10:28:45.195-04:00Very interesting post; I love pearls but never kne...Very interesting post; I love pearls but never knew about the chocolate ones.The Silver Bunnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05349086912610874215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-29511563030264846702012-05-04T19:39:29.409-04:002012-05-04T19:39:29.409-04:00sisty: Maybe just "pond pearls"?
About ...sisty: Maybe just "pond pearls"?<br /><br />About Last Weekend: Hi! That's such a great style for warm weather or casual. Even if lost, not a big deal.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-70815637080090016242012-05-04T11:48:15.974-04:002012-05-04T11:48:15.974-04:00Hi nice to meet you, came though Tabitha. I won...Hi nice to meet you, came though Tabitha. I won't allow myself to buy good pearls as I lose all good jewelery but I love to look. I saw a beautiful necklace in Sayulita Mexico with a black pearl, just a single pearl on a leather strand. a gorgeous lone choccy!About Last Weekendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04716571630418078937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-16054470568899849742012-05-04T11:33:32.903-04:002012-05-04T11:33:32.903-04:00Duchesse -- I emailed you -- thanks a lot!
And I&...Duchesse -- I emailed you -- thanks a lot!<br /><br />And I'm surprised that the marketing people haven't figured out a catchier name than "pondslime." ;)<br /><br />Cathleensistyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09053105066815670135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-87591453758915782952012-05-04T08:35:54.178-04:002012-05-04T08:35:54.178-04:00LPC: That last strand of Tahitians was selected wi...LPC: That last strand of Tahitians was selected with you in mind.<br /><br />Louise: I love pondslimes and own some. Look for even coverage on the pearl, not patches. Kojima Company usually offer some and can guide you to buying one or a strand.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-39153695714964288592012-05-04T08:33:21.209-04:002012-05-04T08:33:21.209-04:00c.: There were, and are, many grades and variation...c.: There were, and are, many grades and variations of Biwas. Biwas are cultured saltwater pearls as opposed to the Chinese pearls that have overtaken the market, which are freshwater. Production of Biwas is way down due to pollutants and viruses. <br /><br />Anyway, I like what you are doing with your strange old pearls!Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-5684088843184110072012-05-03T23:46:13.513-04:002012-05-03T23:46:13.513-04:00The more I study pearls, the more I love them. The...The more I study pearls, the more I love them. The truly natural colors call me the loudest, as do the lumpy bumpy baroques. Have you seen the color some call "pond slime"? Sort of a coppery green layer over other freshwater colors. Weird and wonderful.Louisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06306854459459257368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-70817310459314679182012-05-03T23:05:18.219-04:002012-05-03T23:05:18.219-04:00High-calorie moment, bwahahahahaha!High-calorie moment, bwahahahahaha!LPChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18209861350905135093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-56786986914432595562012-05-03T20:38:57.963-04:002012-05-03T20:38:57.963-04:00Duchesse,
Thanks for the insights--I'll see w...Duchesse,<br /><br />Thanks for the insights--I'll see what my camera can do tomorrow. I, too, wondered whether my pearls might be natural, but alas, most of them show the bead nucleus quite clearly. In fact, it looks as though the nacre did not want to adhere to the bead; there appear to be slight gaps between the nacre layer and the nucleus in several of the pearls , and always the nacre seems to pull away from the round, making a tear or comet shape. Could they be the product of an experiment with some nucleus material the oysters didn't like? I'm also wondering whether the blue cast is the result of dipping in a dark blue dye which could have stained the exposed inner layers and given them that blackened look. Japanese is a very good bet, I think, but it's strange: the only mid-century Biwa pearls I've seen before were very different--small, round, and luminously white. The father of our Japanese exchange student gave a necklace and brooch to my mother in 1965.<br /><br />I have already strung these pearls once, mixing them at random with some imperfect-but-lustrous creamy ivory/pink round pearls from another thrift-shop string, and some small crystal and vintage glass beads to "erase" the black spots. I like making these extra-long necklaces on fishing line, and looping them around my neck several times. The delicate effect of the silvery gray, ivory, and glass pleased me--very glowy with ivory silk or gray linen. After I photograph the little pearls, I'll string them all again...<br /><br />C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-9068434538112784642012-05-03T18:32:56.691-04:002012-05-03T18:32:56.691-04:00C: My PS got cut off. I am guessing they are Japan...C: My PS got cut off. I am guessing they are Japanese given that they sound like 40s or 50s era, b/f the Chinese farming really took off.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-12578819856574984772012-05-03T18:31:39.737-04:002012-05-03T18:31:39.737-04:00C.: I'd need a photo, as closeup as possible w...C.: I'd need a photo, as closeup as possible which you can send c/o my e-mail. Any oyster can make little, non-round pearls with blemishes. <br /><br />They sound Japanese, a popular-priced souvenir piece; could be Biwas, could even be low-grade natural pearls. (I have seen a vintage natural pearl strand very much like what you describe, with blemishes and spotting. Sometimes people would buy them even though they look decayed, just to have a natural strand.)<br /><br />Here's a photo of vintage Biwas but of better quality than those you describe:<br />http://www.virgomoon.com/html07/old_biwa_pearls.html<br /><br />I can show photos to some pearl friends who might weigh in (this is our idea of fun). <br /><br />Look at the pearls closely near the drill holes- use a loupe. Can you see any nucleus (the bead used as an implant in culturing)? <br /><br />You might pick the better ones and use as is or mix with others. I have some like that, worked with wire, dangling off a chain.<br /><br />Let's have a look!<br /><br />PS IDuchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-64837441767808651622012-05-03T18:19:25.508-04:002012-05-03T18:19:25.508-04:00I do love those grey pearls. To me part of the bea...I do love those grey pearls. To me part of the beauty of pearls is the light they reflect up onto the face. For that reason, I just haven't warmed up to the darker versions.Susan Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16005855250089328310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-75027155162811027992012-05-03T17:20:38.990-04:002012-05-03T17:20:38.990-04:00A strictly vanilla and platinum girl, I thank you ...A strictly vanilla and platinum girl, I thank you for including that last necklace! I've stared at it before, and at a certain single silver natural Tahitian (the near-round one with the slightly hammered effect) I'd love to have set into a ring some day.<br /><br />--And as you've opened the door to the silver shades, may I take advantage of your pearl passion to ask you about a curious little vintage necklace I found in my thrift-shop foraging? It was a homely thing: 3 graduated strands of weirdly shaped silvery blueish gray pearls ranging from tiny to 6-7mm, forming a tight Mamie Eisenhower-style choker with an aged "amethyst" and seed-pearl clasp. Somewhat round or tear-shaped, most of the pearls have bumps, knobs and blotches; some have blackened open ends--a bit like decayed baby teeth, I couldn't help thinking--but others are lovely and lustrous, almost iridescent, with hints of peacock and violet. For $7.00, I couldn't resist bringing the necklace home to study it. I cut the pearls from their rotting strings and wondered: What sort of bivalve made these little pearls, and who thought of making such small, imperfect specimens into a necklace? Who, back in the 1950s, would have bought it? Any ideas, Duchesse? Can you solve my pearl mystery?<br /><br />C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-72140472270597478512012-05-03T12:39:29.496-04:002012-05-03T12:39:29.496-04:00Indeed, I should have added quotation marks!Indeed, I should have added quotation marks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-81564161128948128002012-05-03T12:38:52.938-04:002012-05-03T12:38:52.938-04:00into pearls that have never been seen before.
Hila...into pearls that have never been seen before.<br />Hilarious and my grammar is quite shoddy!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-25549347907905104542012-05-03T11:43:20.573-04:002012-05-03T11:43:20.573-04:00chicatanyage: No coincidence that those are the na...chicatanyage: No coincidence that those are the natural colour pearls- and my preference too.<br /><br />sisty: If you wish, feel free to send me your photo, budget and any other criteria, and I'll round up some ideas, just for your musings. Pearls are my passion and I do not represent or profit from any vendor.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-30487370215489925812012-05-03T10:47:46.626-04:002012-05-03T10:47:46.626-04:00And by "read more," I mean read more of ...And by "read more," I mean read more of your excellent pearl posts.sistyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09053105066815670135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-26713309462468333952012-05-03T10:46:48.570-04:002012-05-03T10:46:48.570-04:00At first I thought they had invented a new kind of...At first I thought they had invented a new kind of candy! Pearl chocolates -- doesn't that sound delicious!<br /><br />I love pearls but, oddly, don't own any, except earrings, and of those I have many. I'm a little intimidated about the different kinds, value, and what kind of necklace would look good on me. I think I just need to read more. And, of course, spend time trying some on!sistyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09053105066815670135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-33929970366503921222012-05-03T08:55:41.889-04:002012-05-03T08:55:41.889-04:00I am more into grey than brown however do like the...I am more into grey than brown however do like the first and last strings. A lovely mixture of subtle tones. Your pearl posts always remind me of the lovely necklace I already have. ThanksAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08902418849121978821noreply@blogger.com