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EducationDesert Storm™ Tahitian pearls are natural pearls of AA or AAA quality. They are less expensive than comparably colored Tahitian pearls because they start out as darker colored, less expensive pearls that are bleached with a patented proprietary process developed in the USA by Abe Auerbach.
This process is not a coloring process as with other existing affordably priced pearls. This is a treatment that preserves the pearl’s “natural” character as defined by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The process lightens the natural color of darker Tahitian shades thereby revealing the pearl’s undertone color. The resultant range of color is as broad as all other natural Tahitian colors in shades and tones of brown.
With other processes, the pearl starts out light in color with an added colorant or dye to make them appear brown. Because of this, their available ranges of color are limited to only a few brown shades and since these dyes can be detected by the GIA, they are not considered to be natural pearls.
All Tahitian pearls are part of the South Sea pearl family. They are different from white and gold South Sea Australian pearls only in their color and the locale within the South Sea where they are produced (Tahiti).
Tahitian pearls are different from Japanese and Chinese pearls in that the oysters are much larger and the pearl’s period of growth (about two to three years) is much longer creating larger and more diversified pearls. For this reason they are more durable (and until now more costly) but will not change in quality or color. Japanese & Chinese pearls can and will change in color and quality over time since their nacre, or coating, is much thinner, with only about a six month cultivation period.
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