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Lot 1382
Pair of Keshi Pearl, Diamond and Blue Topaz Earrings
27 May 2010, 13:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$1,098 inc. premium
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Find your local specialistPair of Keshi Pearl, Diamond and Blue Topaz Earrings
South Pacific near Australia
Possessing a whimsical charm entirely different to the perfectly round, large pearls typically cultivated in the waters off northern Australia, “seedless” Keshi pearls arise spontaneously and are a bi-product of the culturing process of Akoya and South Seas pearls. Not well known and rather misunderstood-Keshi pearls are, in fact, a type of natural pearl. During the process of making a cultured pearl, farmers sometimes find these pearls, identical in every way to a natural pearl, except for the fact that the oyster was touched by human hands before the Keshi pearl was found. Keshis are created naturally in the soft tissue of most cultured pearl-bearing oysters and mussels. They are usually formed by the accidental intrusion of tiny natural organisms such as parasites, eggs, sand fragments of shell, or small particles of mantle tissue that have detached themselves from the implanted nucleus. Keshi is a Japanese term meaning “seed”, referring to the typically small size in which these pearls are found-usually in the 2 to 10mm size.
Of flowerhead design, each earring is set with five natural white Keshi pearls, six circular-cut blue topaz, and six brilliant-cut diamonds, weighing approximately 0.25 carats, mounted in 18K white gold.
Possessing a whimsical charm entirely different to the perfectly round, large pearls typically cultivated in the waters off northern Australia, “seedless” Keshi pearls arise spontaneously and are a bi-product of the culturing process of Akoya and South Seas pearls. Not well known and rather misunderstood-Keshi pearls are, in fact, a type of natural pearl. During the process of making a cultured pearl, farmers sometimes find these pearls, identical in every way to a natural pearl, except for the fact that the oyster was touched by human hands before the Keshi pearl was found. Keshis are created naturally in the soft tissue of most cultured pearl-bearing oysters and mussels. They are usually formed by the accidental intrusion of tiny natural organisms such as parasites, eggs, sand fragments of shell, or small particles of mantle tissue that have detached themselves from the implanted nucleus. Keshi is a Japanese term meaning “seed”, referring to the typically small size in which these pearls are found-usually in the 2 to 10mm size.
Of flowerhead design, each earring is set with five natural white Keshi pearls, six circular-cut blue topaz, and six brilliant-cut diamonds, weighing approximately 0.25 carats, mounted in 18K white gold.