Pearl Discoloration

Q: Hi, Just love the goodies and info in your site. I have a friend and her pearls that she bought in Hawaii are turning a beige colour from white. She has had them stored in drawer for about 8 months and hasn't worn them until a couple of days ago. What has happened?

A: I am so glad you like the site, we have changed it quite a bit in the last several months and it’s always great to get feedback. As for your friend’s pearls, it’s common for white pearls to become more ivory or creamy colour over time but generally it takes years for this to happen unless the pearls are of very low quality, or they have been over-processed on a factory level.

Because pearls are porous they need exposure to moisture and when they are stored inside safety deposit boxes, bank boxes, safes or other containers that do not allow the natural moisture from the air to get to the pearls, this discolouration will occur much more rapidly. Based on the limited information at hand, it sounds like they are probably lower quality which means the nacre is very thin (if akoya) and in combination with the pearls being sealed away from the air, the process of discolouration has been sped up considerably. Unfortunately, once this has occurred there is no way to reverse it. The best option at this point is to make sure the pearls are not stored in anything airtight and for your friend to wear them more often. The other thing that happens is when the pearls are exposed to any kind of chemicals such as perfume, hairspray, lotions, sun block, and any kind of chemical substance and then not wiped clean before storage. Those chemicals, including chlorine in tap water, will also discolour the pearls and dull the surface. It doesn’t sound like that was the case here but for future reference that will also permanently damage any kind of pearls.