What is a Pearl Doctor?

What Pearl Doctors Do?

The pearl doctor is the cosmetic surgeon of the pearl world who improves pearls by delicately removing blemishes, his 'instruments' consisting of fine scrapers, abrasives and a sensitive touchy infinite patience and a considerable knowledge of pearls. In this aspect of the pearl trade, to simply describe the careful removal of a pimple or a blotch by use of miniature files or scraping devices would be accurate but not adequate.

'Doctoring' is a term which has hints of doping or interfering for some gainful purpose, not strictly honest or above board. Gemstone colors are often changed permanently by heat treatment, classic examples being heat treatment of greenish 'aquamarine' to an improved and more attractive blue. This is an accepted trade practice.

Pearls when first extracted from the tissue of oysters, particularly Japanese cultured pearls, are lightly bleached in a weak hydrogen peroxide solution. Sunlight also has a bleaching effect.

X-ray irradiation can cause darkening of color in some pearls and is thus not a desirable effect, but generally speaking little 'doctoring' of pearls takes place to alter their color.

Early Pearl Doctors

In the heyday of the pearl trade there were certainly pearl doctors in Hatton Garden, London, in the neighborhood of Rue Lafayette, Paris, and in jewelry quarters of Maiden Lane, New York.

In some respects this working of pearls introduces the risk or gamble so beloved of many who deal in precious stones and pearls who put their hands in their pockets and take a calculated risk. It is usually only on large-sized and potentially valuable pearls that specialist skills are employed. No great risk or great financial loss is incurred with small and/or medium-quality pearls.

T. B. Elles, a native of Ceylon, was recognized in the boom days as being the most skilful of pearl doctors. He worked on pearls at Broome, Western Australia, and it was said that the Broome pearlers paid him quite handsomely to keep him in the town, presumably to work on blemished pearls, rather than go to London or Paris where he could have obtained employment in the jewellery world. T. B. Elles had a son, Charlie Elles, who was also in the pearl business at Broome but business there has dropped considerably. In Hatton Garden another father-and-son business of pearl doctors was Brockman & Son.

Different Kinds Of Pearl Treatments Done by Pearl Doctors

When a low-quality cultured pearl is cleaned and polished, and still does not have a good luster, the farmer is left with a few options. He can sell the pearl at a steep discount; dispose of the pearl; peel the nacre to sell it, then reuse the nucleus; or apply a treatment to the pearl that will change its appearance. If the pearl is a good candidate for treatment, this is the most common and economically sensible approach for the farmer.

There are three main treatments that low-quality pearls undergo:

Dyeing: The use of silver nitrate or other organic dyes to darken the nacre of the pearl.

Irradiation: The use of gamma rays to darken the nucleus of the pearl in akoya pearls and the nacre layers in freshwater.

Luster treatments: A pearl is heated and then cooled or a coating treatment placed on the surface of the pearl to artificially enhance the luster. This is also referred to as "maeshori".

Learn... How to Tell Real Pearls from Imitation Pearls

Processing of Chinese tissue-grafted freshwater pearls usually involves the sequential steps of:

1. Sorting (grading) for size, shape, colour and perfection of surface.

2. Drilling to remove flaws, allow access for cleaning and bleaching.

3. Bleaching to remove dark spots and lighten colour. Agents used include bleaching agents (e.g. hydrogen peroxide), solvents and surface-active agents.

4. Whitening with fluorescent brightening agents.

5. Color enhancement by dyeing and/or irradiation.

6. Washing to remove toxic by-products of colour enhancement.

7. Polishing in tumblers filled with wax and bamboo, walnut shells or sheepskin.

Do-It-Yourself Cleaning for Pearl Jewelries

Things You'll Need:

a) Jewelry cleaning solution suitable for pearls

b) Soft cleaning cloth

c) Storage pouch or cloth suitable for pearls

1) Your pearls will stay cleaner if you put them on after you've applied your makeup and perfume.

2) Lay the pearl strand flat on a clean soft cloth or towel. Make a mild solution of soap flakes (I use Ivory soap flakes) and warm water, and apply with a new pure natural bristle complexion or manicure brush, scrubbing gently. Being careful to support the strand so as not to stretch the thread, turn the necklace over and repeat. To rinse, submerge the strand in cool water flush with cool tap water for a minimum of five minutes. Carefully remove the strand from the water and lay it on a fresh towel to air dry. Don't move it until it is completely dry.

3) Never clean your pearls with solutions that contain ammonia or harsh detergents. Use cleaning product like Pearls Natural Jewelry Cleaner Concentrate which is non-toxic, hypo-allergenic and non-irritating to the skin and fingernail polish.

4) Don't use abrasive cleaners or rub pearls with abrasive cloth. Both can wear away the nacre coating, leaving you with a plain looking bead.

5) Pearls are an organic gem comprised of calcium carbonate, pearls require more specialized care than most other gems materials. They are particularly subject to deterioration from contact with chemicals, including components in household cleaners, perfumes, cosmetics and hair care products of all kinds.

6) Be sure to take off your pearl rings before you apply hand and body creams.

7) Wipe your pearls with a soft, lint-free cloth as soon as you take them off. The cloth can be dampened with water or it can be dry. If damp, allow the pearls to air dry before putting them away.

8) The surface of a pearl is soft and is easily damaged. Pearls set in rings and bracelets are more subject to scuffing and scratching than pearls set in brooches, earrings, necklaces or strands. A pearl ring or bracelet should be considered a special-occasion piece, not for daily wear and definitely not to be worn while working with the hands.

9) A good rule of thumb is that pearls are the last thing you put on when dressing and the first thing you take off when you get home. NEVER apply perfume or hairspray when you are wearing pearl jewelry, especially a strand of pearls.

10) Don't put pearl jewelry in an ultrasonic cleaner.

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