At Seven Seas Pearls we are very proud of our collection of Tahitian Keshi Pearl Jewelry. We have one of the largest collections of any private pearl jewelry company. Each Keshi Pearl is unique and different; and as a result they make stunning jewelry pieces. We invite you to explore our website and get a better feel of the beauty that Keshi Pearls offer. If you are local to the Southern California area, we would love to invite you to our Los Angeles Showroom. No appointment is ever needed. We would be delighted to show you hundreds of Keshi Pearls and teach you about these little gems.
Once
an individual experiences the metallic rainbow beauty of Tahitian
Pearls – it’s almost impossible to not fall madly in love. Tahitian
Pearls while smaller in size than South Sea Pearls offer an incredible
spectrum of gorgeous colors paired with incredible overtones to choose
from. It’s no wonder these little gems have become so popular. Even for
those who love Tahitian Pearls, many are most likely unfamiliar with
what a Tahitian Keshi Pearl is.
Many
people upon hearing the term “Keshi” assume that Keshi means natural.
This is a faulty misconception. For a pearl to earn the classification
of a “natural” pearl there must be no human intervention. On today’s
pearl market, 99.9% of all pearls are considered to be “cultured” or
“farmed” pearls. In fact, it is illegal to hunt wild oysters for the
intent of selling their assumed pearl. If someone ever tells you that
they are selling “natural” pearls – it’s a pretty sure guess that they
are misleading you.
Of the three types of saltwater pearls: Akoya, Tahitian and South Sea, each will have a subtype of a Keshi variety. The term Keshi ultimately describes how the pearl was formed, and sets it apart from other pearls in a harvest. Pearls are created by something irritating the oyster. As a result, the oyster puts up a barrier between itself and the irritant to protect itself. This barrier is nacre – and is what ultimately forms a pearl. Pearl farmers adhere to a process called nucleation. A small mother of pearl bead (the nucleus) is inserted into the oyster. Over time, the oyster will secrete layers of nacre around the nucleus – ultimately resulting in a pearl. In order to ensure a pearl is forming, each oyster is scanned via x-ray. On infrequent occasions, an oyster will reject a nucleus. Upon determining this via x-ray, another nucleus is inserted and the process is started over again.
On rare occasions, an oyster will reject the nucleus – but still continue to deposit layers of nacre. As a result, a pearl is formed that does not have a nucleus – but is made of 100% nacre. These gorgeous pearls have incredible shapes, colors, textures and are a true find. These are called Keshi Pearls.
Here is a gorgeous example of Tahitian Keshi Pearl Jewelry: