What Are Keshi Pearls? - Pure Pearls

By A Mystery Man Writer

Keshi pearls are a gorgeous by-product of the pearl culturing process. Not strictly considered “cultured pearls” by industry standards though because they are unintentional products, not actual nucleated pearls. Basically what happens with a keshi pearl is that the technician nucleates the pearl-bearing mollusk (this happens with both saltwater pearl oysters and Freshwater pearl mussels), and while the pearl is forming, a small piece of it breaks off within the body of the mollusk. The broken-off piece also irritates the mollusk into forming a pearl sac, and begin smoothing over the irritant with pearl nacre, creating an accidental pearl! These Freshwater keshi pearls are much larger than their saltwater cousins, and much more colorful! Keshi pearls are solid-nacre, usually small in size and usually highly lustrous, and come in every cultured pearl type: Akoya, Tahitian, Freshwater and South Seas! They have become