Coin pearls have been one of my favorite shapes for years. There’s something elegant about that full-moon shape, and the broad face gives beautiful luster so much room to show. I’ve accumulated quite a collection, but our recent trunk show gave me a chance to appreciate them alongside the fireballs and keshi. With so many different pearls together, it was easier to compare their qualities and see what made certain ones stand out.
The fireballs that made me stop and look
Fireballs were a later discovery for me. I don’t think I’d even heard of them until the second half of my career, and it was only this past year that I learned how they were made. Hearing someone else talk about how much they liked them made me pause for a closer look. Once I understood the time involved in growing one, I had a new appreciation for what had gone into that pearl.
A few details about how they grow might spark your interest, too. Fireballs often have a rounded body and an extended tail. In one method documented by GIA in 2007, growers harvested an earlier pearl, inserted a spherical shell bead into the existing pearl sac, and returned the mussel to the water for another year or two. Fireballs and tailed coins can resemble one another, but a fireball isn’t simply a coin pearl with a longer tail. And here I thought it had turned out that way by accident!
That’s one documented growing method, and it’s made me curious to learn more about the pearls we see today. Knowing there can be an earlier harvest and another growing period behind a single pearl gives me a reason to slow down and look more carefully.
Where coin pearl tails come in
Coin pearls are freshwater cultured pearls typically grown around a flat, disc-shaped shell nucleus. Living tissue called the pearl sac deposits nacre around it, creating the pearl’s broad, flattened shape. The flat nucleus guides the shape, but the finished pearl can also have a nub or tail extending beyond the disc.
A tail can be part of the pearl’s growth and doesn’t, by itself, mean the pearl is damaged. Chips or peeling around an edge or drill hole are separate things to look for.
The luster is still a large part of what draws me to coins. Their broad faces make it easy to see the brightness of a reflection as you turn them in the light. Some also show orient, that iridescent rainbow shimmer across the surface. An uneven outline can come with beautiful luster and color, so shape alone gives you only part of the picture.
Putting them into a piece
For stringing and wire wrapping, I find coins drilled from edge to edge through the middle the easiest to use. But I wouldn’t overlook the tip-drilled ones. They have a distinctive look and can be wire wrapped to hang as drops. With larger pearls, especially those with tails, check the hole placement and how the pearl actually hangs so it will sit the way you want in your design.
The trunk show also gave me an idea for the coins I’ve collected over the years: a long necklace with different sizes spaced along its length, almost like an art installation dropping from the ceiling. I can picture those full-moon shapes suspended at intervals, with room to see each one.
I haven’t made it yet, so keep an eye on our social media. I’ll share it when I do!