The official definition of a keshi: Tahitian keshi is a naturally coloured, nucleus-free cultured pearl, made entirely of pearly layers from the bio-mineralization process of the pearl sac, formed from the epithelial cells of the graft, a piece of the mantle collected from a donor mollusc, originating from French Polynesia. After human intervention, this graft is either introduced alone into a pearl oyster carrying the species Pinctada margaritifera cumingii raised in French Polynesia, or introduced with a nucleus that will be expelled from the pearl pouch (gonad) or isolated from the graft during a movement inside the pearl pouch of the receiving pearl oyster. (Country law n° 2017-16 of 18 July 2017.)
Let yourself be seduced by the keshis!
The round pearls of Tahiti are magnificent. But it would be a pity to miss the unique beauty of the keshis. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings... the keshi adapts to all situations. It's true, creating a keshis jewel requires more time, but the result is really worth it!
What is a keshi?
Keshi is a word of Japanese origin. It means poppy or poppy seed. Perhaps because of their resemblance to seeds, this word also came to mean pearls produced without nucleus, made entirely of mother-of-pearl.
Natural pearls, produced without human intervention, are close to keshis since they do not have nuclei. During pearl culture, the nucleus is sometimes expelled from the pearl oyster for different reasons. A keshis is then sometimes harvested later. Or a keshi can be formed at the same time as a pearl.
One could therefore say that the keshi is a failed pearl, but that would not honour the particular beauty of the keshis!