What Are Mabe or Mobe Pearls?

Have you ever wondered why jewelers take perfectly rounded valuable pearls, cut them in half and then place them inside a setting? After all, it would seem to be counterproductive to incur the expense of buying high-grade spherically perfect pearls only to destroy the very attribute that determines a large portion of the value. The answer is very simple: jewelers use mabe pearls when working with flat settings. They do not cut up the perfect pearls they would place on a strand.

The animal frequently used in the production of the cultured mabe pearl is the black-winged pearl oyster (Pteria penguin). Unlike the spheres commonly associated with pearls, mabes are only half-rounded with a flat back. Not surprisingly, they are perfect for rings and pendants, where their flat backs are essential for fitting into the settings.

Seeding for this type of pearl differs from the typical process. To ensure the flattened back, a hemispherically shaped irritant is placed between the oyster’s body and interior shell. As a result, the nacre surrounds the irritant on one side to form the half-round dome. It is interesting to note that – in the trade – the still-implanted mabe is oftentimes referred to as a blister pearl. This is due to the fact that in many cases, the irritants are actually placed on a blister pack that is then placed inside the oyster. This allows for a harvest of multiple mabes.

Since jewelers must remove the artificial nucleus from the back of the mabe and replace it with resin, these pearls are considerably less expensive than their perfectly rounded cousins. Of course, when the back of the pearl is placed flush against the back of a setting, this detail is immaterial. In fact, it is difficult to tell a mabe pearl in a setting from a round one that has been worked on to fit into the same setting.

While the size of the pearl is determined by the size of the irritant that is placed inside the mollusk, there is still some variation in available sizes. It is not unheard of that 8mm mabes have been added to jewelry. For those who prefer bigger sizes, there are 16mm pearls that fit the bill. Experts engaged in the trade generally base the size of the pearls on current and anticipated market trends. If blister packs are used, the typical size of the pearl is between 10mm and 12mm at the time of harvest.

Peter Suchy Jewelers is located at 1137 High Ridge Road in Stamford Connecticut and we invite you to stop by our showroom to see our huge inventory of mobe and mabe pearls.

Or, if you enjoy browsing for pearl jewelry online, head on over to our top-rated eBay store where you’ll find we have over 5,000 transactions to date and 100 percent positive feedback.

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