No abstract

Historically, natural black pearls have been one of the rarest and most exotic of gem materials. In the 1960s, however, a black-pearl culturing industry was initiated. Today, cultured black pearls play a prominent role throughout the international jewelry community. This article reviews the history of Polynesian blaclz pearls, the development of culturing and the techniques involved, grading, treatments and identification, and the factors responsible for their growing popularity in the 1980s.

Canadian subscribers should add GST. Discounts are available for group subscriptions, GIA alumni, and current GIA students. To purchase print subscriptions, visit store.gia.edu or contact Customer Service. For institutional rates, contact Customer Service. Database CoverageG&G is abstracted in Thomson Reuters products (Current Contents: Physical, Chemical & Earth Sciences and Science Citation Index-Expanded, including the Web of Knowledge) and other databases. For a complete list of sources abstracting G&G, go to gia.edu/gems-gemology, and click on "Publication Information." Manuscript SubmissionsGems & Gemology, a peer-reviewed journal, welcomes the submission of articles on all aspects of the field. Please see the Author Guidelines at gia.edu/gemsgemology or contact the Managing Editor. Letters on articles published in G&G are also welcome. Please note that Field Reports, Lab Notes, Gem News International, Micro-World, and Charts are not peerreviewed sections but do undergo technical and editorial review.

No abstract

No abstract