Seed pearls are very small; less than a one-quarter grain in weight, smaller than 2mm in size and off-round in shape. Historically, in jewelry, they were used as a border, either singly as tiny accents or in clusters woven together to make up an entire piece of jewelry.
|Gemological Information for Seed Pearls|
|Color||White, Pink, Cream and Black|
|Crystal Structure||Crystalline Layers|
|Refractive Index||1.53 to 1.685|
|Durability||Good to Fair, can be scratched, will crush.|
|Hardness||2.5 to 4.5|
|Similar Stones||Cultured Pearls, Imitation Pearls|
|Treatments||Bleaching and Dyeing|
|Country of Origin||Sri Lanka, Australia, Central America|
|Seed Pearl Care|
|Warm Soapy Water||Safe - Dry String before Wearing|
|Chemical Attack||Attacked by Acids and Perfume|
|Heat Sensitivity||Will Burn with Extreme Heat|
Gem Reference Guide, Los Angeles: Gemological Institute of America, 1988. Pp. 169-171.
Newman, Harold. An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry, New York: Thames and Hudson, 1981. Pp. 274.
Schumann, Walter. Gemstones of the World, New York: Sterling Publishing, Co., 1977. Pp. 222-231.