Keshi Pearl Hoop Earrings

Hand hammered sterling silver hoop earrings (25mm) adorned with thick clusters of Keshi Pearls make a stunning, chic statement.

These earrings measure 2 1/2 inches long from the bottom of the sterling silver French wire earring hook.

Keshi pearls are formed when the oyster rejects and spits out the implanted nucleus before the culturing process is complete, or the implanted mantle tissue fractures and forms separate pearl sacs without nuclei. These pearl sacs eventually produce pearls without a nucleus.

Because the oyster has expelled the implanted nucleus of the pearl, the resulting keshi pearl is 100% nacre. This gives it an especially lustrous and shimmering surface quality. Most keshi, in fact, have a greater luster than even the best quality cultured pearls.

Today Keshi pearls are much more rare. This is because Tahitian and South Sea pearl farms are now x-raying oysters to determine whether or not the nucleus has been expelled. When a nucleus-free oyster is found they are then re nucleated before a keshi has time to form. This practice has made keshi pearls much more of a rare find than they once used to be.

In China, pearl was used to treat heart palpitations, high blood pressure, said to stimulate imagination and help with decision-making. It is also used as a symbol of faith and innocence.