Pearl and molluscan shell materials

The pearl and molluscan shell family covers natural and cultured pearls together with shell materials such as mother-of-pearl and giant clam shell. Pearl and mother-of-pearl are not the same material category. Nacre lifted from a shell stays shell material, however bright it looks.

What this family is

Nacre lifted from a shell stays shell material however bright it is — that is the line this family draws, and it is why the two sit in separate places here. Under CIBJO and FTC usage the unqualified word pearl means a natural one, so cultured goods must carry the word "cultured" immediately next to the name, equally conspicuous.

Giant clam shell brings a permit regime: Tridacnidae is CITES Appendix II, that line carrying no annotation.

Scope of this family

Natural and cultured pearls together with shell materials such as mother-of-pearl and giant clam shell; pearl and mother-of-pearl are not the same material category.

Market names not to be used as a product name

Recorded on member entries of this family. Each name links to the entry whose page explains the ruling and its source.

All misleading and prohibited trade names across the site: Misleading and prohibited trade names

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Market name	Recorded on	Status
Akoya pearl	Akoya Cultured Pearl	Not to be used in any position
baroque pearl	Baroque Cultured Pearl	Not to be used in any position
circled pearl	Circled Cultured Pearl	Not to be used in any position
ringed pearl	Circled Cultured Pearl	Not to be used in any position
circle pearl	Circled Cultured Pearl	Not to be used in any position
circlé pearl	Circled Cultured Pearl	Not to be used in any position
Biwa cultured pearl	Freshwater Cultured Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Scottish pearls	Freshwater Natural Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Keshi pearl	Keshi Cultured Pearl	Not to be used in any position
Cortez cultured pearl	Saltwater Cultured Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Dobo pearls	Saltwater Cultured Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Fiji cultured pearl	Saltwater Cultured Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Gulf cultured pearl	Saltwater Cultured Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Arabian Gulf pearls	Saltwater Natural Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Bahraini pearl	Saltwater Natural Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Basra pearl	Saltwater Natural Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Bombay pearls	Saltwater Natural Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Gulf pearl	Saltwater Natural Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Tahitian natural pearl	Saltwater Natural Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
Venezuelan pearl	Saltwater Natural Pearl	Annotation only, never as the product name
South Sea pearl	South Sea Cultured Pearl	Not to be used in any position
Tahitian pearl	Tahitian Cultured Pearl	Not to be used in any position
Australian white pearl	White South Sea Cultured Pearl	Not to be used in any position

Treatments recorded on member entries

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Treatment	Member entries	Disclosure requirement
Irradiated	Akoya Cultured Pearl, Baroque Cultured Pearl, Circled Cultured Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Cultured Pearl, Keshi Cultured Pearl, Pearl, Saltwater Cultured Pearl, South Sea Cultured Pearl, Tahitian Cultured Pearl, White South Sea Cultured Pearl	Must be disclosed. Stability under irradiation varies by material: irradiated blue topaz keeps a stable colour and irradiated smoky quartz or coloured diamond can, but in some materials the irradiated colour fades in light or heat; colour stability must be pointed out.
Dyed	Akoya Cultured Pearl, Baroque Cultured Pearl, Circled Cultured Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Natural Pearl, Giant Clam Shell, Keshi Cultured Pearl, Mother-of-Pearl / Nacre, Natural Pearl, Pearl, Saltwater Cultured Pearl, Saltwater Natural Pearl, Shell, South Sea Cultured Pearl, Tahitian Cultured Pearl, White South Sea Cultured Pearl	Must be disclosed. Dye may fade, bleed or dissolve in solvents (alcohol, acetone), and dyed material must not be labelled "natural colour"; dyed jadeite counts as B/C jade and must be conspicuously labelled; dyed agate and chalcedony are extremely common.
Bleached	Akoya Cultured Pearl, Baroque Cultured Pearl, Circled Cultured Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Cultured Pearl, Freshwater Natural Pearl, Keshi Cultured Pearl, Natural Pearl, Pearl, Saltwater Cultured Pearl, Saltwater Natural Pearl, South Sea Cultured Pearl, Tahitian Cultured Pearl, White South Sea Cultured Pearl	Bleaching may affect the durability of the material. Codes differ on whether routine pearl bleaching needs its own declaration (compare the rows on this page); chemical bleaching that changes the structure, or bleaching followed by impregnation, must be disclosed.
Coated	Giant Clam Shell, Mother-of-Pearl / Nacre, Pearl, Shell	Must be disclosed. Coatings may be abraded, flake off or discolour, and coating is not a permanent enhancement; the coating material must be disclosed (e.g. Mystic Topaz is coated topaz), and the treated effect must not be implied to be natural.

Care codes on member entries

Member entries cite these CIBJO special-care codes: special-care code a, special-care code c, special-care code f, special-care code h, special-care code j, special-care code k. General gem care gives the full wording of every code.

Where members are recorded

Some member entries record the localities where their materials are found; Recorded localities shows them on a sketch map and lists them by continent.

Names

简体中文: 珍珠与软体动物贝壳材料
繁體中文: 珍珠與軟體動物貝殼材料
English: Pearl and molluscan shell materials
日本語: 真珠・軟体動物貝殻材料

Authority source

Authority source

Review status

Reviewed against CIBJO, GB/T and IMA boundaries.

Distribution across the other axes

All 20 members share these values:

Origin class: Natural materials
Material domain: Natural organic and biogenic materials
Mineral chemical class: Not applicable

Identity level

Construction or treatment status

Natural identity; treatment status unknown (11)
Cultured formation; treatments recorded separately (9)