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What Happens To Pearls Not Worn, Cleaned, and Stored Properly

by Judy Larson
Pearls that have not been taken care of properly will deteriorate over time. Here's some tips for keeping pearls looking their best.
Instructions
This 26" strand of 10mm freshwater pearls was most likely put on before applying makeup and hair products, was never cleaned after wearing, and was never stored properly.
Judy Larson's What Happens To Pearls Not Worn, Cleaned, and Stored Properly - , General Education, , before applying makeup and hair products
The surface of imitation pearls is very smooth but the surface of real pearls will feel slightly gritty when run over your front teeth.

When pearls are not cushioned by a knot between them, that grittiness will make the pearls wear against each other.
Judy Larson's What Happens To Pearls Not Worn, Cleaned, and Stored Properly - , General Education, , wear against each other
All this combined for a perfect storm of deterioration.

You can see where layers of nacre have flaked away, as well as where it almost looks like "rot" has set in.
Judy Larson's What Happens To Pearls Not Worn, Cleaned, and Stored Properly - , General Education, , how to care for pearls
Most pearls today form when an irritant is introduced inside an oyster or mussel. As a defense, the shellfish secretes nacre, coating the irritant in layers.

The smaller the irritant, the longer it takes to build enough nacre for a large pearl. I wondered how long it took to make these 10mm black pearls and what size irritant was used.

I cleaned the pearl strand with mild soap and water. At first, the water turned very dark and cloudy, but I kept rinsing until it ran clear.

Note: Since I planned to take the strand apart, I wasn't concerned about submerging the stringing medium, which can weaken it. Normally, only a soft, damp cloth should be used on pearls.

Avoid hot water and ultrasonic cleaners as they can damage pearls' outer layers. Wearing pearls often helps keep them from drying out.
After drying, the pearls were removed from the stringing medium and sorted into three categories from left to right:

Most likely usable

Possibly usable with bead caps to cover problem areas

Unsalvageable
Judy Larson's What Happens To Pearls Not Worn, Cleaned, and Stored Properly - , General Education, , how to care for pearls
I broke open one of the worst beads to check the irritant size it could have been as large as 5mm.

Inside, I was surprised to see peeling layers. The bead almost looked dried out.

I wonder if the strand hadn't been worn very often..
Judy Larson's What Happens To Pearls Not Worn, Cleaned, and Stored Properly - , General Education, , how to care for pearls
There were not enough beads in the "Keep" pile to remake into a necklace, so earrings were decided on.
Judy Larson's What Happens To Pearls Not Worn, Cleaned, and Stored Properly - , General Education, , how to care for pearls

Materials

Pearls
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Tools

Beadalon Knotter Tool
G16-100
  • G16-100
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
  • Price: $28.95
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7 Smooth Point Tweezers
TWZ-944.00
  • TWZ-944.00
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
  • Price: $3.95
  • Gold Club Price: $2.96
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  • Category: General Education
  • Technique(s): General Education

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