A slurry for processing bead nuclei, a method for processing bead nuclei using the same, and a method for cultivating chrysolite pearls

Abstract

The application discloses a slurry for processing pearl nucleus, a method for processing pearl nucleus by using the slurry and a method for cultivating olivine pearl. The slurry for processing pearl nucleus is prepared by the following method: mixing borax and sodium metal, adding water, heating and dissolving the obtained mixture, and then adding calcium carbonate and stirring to obtain the slurry. The method for cultivating olivine pearl is that: the pearl nucleus made of olivine is placed in a reaction kettle, the slurry is added, and the pearl nucleus is kept at a temperature of greater than or equal to 700 DEG C and a pressure of greater than or equal to 1 atm until a thin film is attached to the surface of the pearl nucleus, thereby obtaining the processed pearl nucleus; the obtained pearl nucleus is sterilized and implanted into a pearl shell, and the pearl shell after implantation is cultured by a conventional method. After the olivine pearl nucleus is processed by using the slurry, the pearl shell is implanted, and then the cultivation is performed by a conventional method, so that the transparent or translucent pearl layer meeting the thickness requirement of the national standard can be formed on the pearl nucleus, the pearl layer is thickened with the extension of the cultivation time, and the obtained pearl has good roundness and good gloss.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of pearl culture technology, specifically to a slurry for treating pearl nuclei, a method for treating pearl nuclei using the slurry, and a method for cultivating peridot pearls. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, pearl farming methods are quite mature. The basic steps involve pre-treating the pearl nucleus through sterilization, then transplanting it into a live pearl oyster, and finally transferring it to a farming pond similar to the natural environment or directly into the sea for natural growth. The longer the farming time, the thicker the pearl layer and the better the quality.

[0003] Currently, most pearl nuclei used in cultured saltwater pearls are made from freshwater mussels. Freshwater pearl cultivation also currently uses freshwater mussel shells as nuclei. Since freshwater mussel shells are mostly white, pearls cultivated from freshwater mussel shell nuclei are mostly white, resulting in a relatively monotonous color. To enrich the color variety of pearls and meet the demand for special types, some aquaculture companies have reportedly used different colored tektites (whose main chemical component is SiO2) to create nuclei in hopes of obtaining pearls of different colors. For example, invention patent CN116584423A discloses a method for producing blue-purple pearl nuclei. Specifically, a black pearl nucleus prepared from black tektites is heated to 930–980°C, held at that temperature, and then cooled to room temperature to obtain the blue-purple pearl nucleus. The prepared blue-purple pearl nucleus provides nucleus material for subsequent nucleus implantation cultivation of blue-purple pearls, thus enabling the cultivation of unique blue-purple pearls. This invention achieves a bluish-purple color by altering the oxidation states of metallic or rare-earth elements in black tektites at high temperatures of 930–980℃. Therefore, this method is energy-intensive and costly. Patent application CN112450133A discloses a method for cultivating dark green pearls. Specifically, it uses dark green revolutonite (a type of tektite) as raw material, shaping it into a round nucleus. This nucleus is then implanted into the visceral nucleus of the pearl oyster. After 3–5 months of cultivation, dark green raw pearls are formed. These raw pearls are then immersed in a 10% magnesium hydroxide solution or a 10% ammonia solution for color optimization, resulting in dark green pearls. However, the color of the raw pearls obtained by this method is not ideal and requires further optimization.

[0004] There are currently no reports of using peridot as a nucleus for pearl cultivation. Peridot is an island-structure silicate mineral with the chemical formula (Mg,Fe)₂[SiO₄], belonging to the orthorhombic crystal system. Its colors are mostly olive green, yellowish-green, golden-green, or emerald green. Peridot has a refractive index of 1.654–1.690, a birefringence of 0.035–0.038, and a dispersion of 0.020. Its hardness is 6.5–7.0, and its density is 3.27–3.48 g / cm³. 3In its research on pearl cultivation experiments using peridot as a nucleus, the applicant discovered that when the prepared peridot nucleus was directly implanted into pearl oysters and cultured using conventional methods, the pearl oysters either failed to produce nacre or produced extremely thin nacre after prolonged cultivation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a slurry for treating pearl nuclei, a method for treating pearl nuclei with the slurry, and a method for cultivating peridot pearls. After treating peridot pearl nuclei with the slurry of the present invention, the pearl nuclei are then implanted into pearl oysters for pearl cultivation. After conventional cultivation, the pearl oysters can generate a transparent or translucent pearl layer on the pearl nuclei that meets the national standard requirements for thickness. The pearl layer thickens as the cultivation time is extended, and the resulting pearls have good roundness and luster.

[0006] The first technical solution of the present invention is to provide a slurry for processing bead nuclei, which is prepared by the following method from calcium carbonate, borax, metallic sodium and water: borax and metallic sodium are mixed evenly, then water is added, the resulting material is heated until the solids dissolve, then calcium carbonate is added and stirred evenly to obtain the slurry; wherein the ratio of calcium carbonate, borax, metallic sodium and water is 20-40g: 6-8g: 2-4g: 1000ml; and the calcium carbonate is nano-sized calcium carbonate.

[0007] In the above technical solution, borax and metallic sodium can be mixed evenly by thorough stirring. Typically, the mixture of borax, metallic sodium, and water is heated to 40–100°C to dissolve the borax and metallic sodium. Since the diameter of the bead nucleus is usually on the order of millimeters, nano-sized calcium carbonate must be used to ensure that calcium carbonate can stably coat the bead nucleus; preferably, calcium carbonate with a particle size of 5–100 nm is used.

[0008] Preferably, the ratio of calcium carbonate, borax, sodium metal, and water is 25-35g: 6.5-7.5g: 2.5-3.5g: 1000ml. More preferably, the ratio of calcium carbonate, borax, sodium metal, and water is 30g: 7.0g: 3.0g: 1000ml.

[0009] The second technical solution of the present invention is to provide a method for treating bead nuclei using the above-mentioned slurry. Specifically, the slurry and bead nuclei are placed in a reaction vessel and kept at a pressure greater than or equal to 1 atm and a temperature greater than or equal to 700°C for a certain period of time until a thin film is attached to the surface of the bead nuclei. Then, the bead nuclei are cooled down and removed to obtain the treated bead nuclei.

[0010] In the above-described method of treating bead nuclei with a slurry, the bead nuclei to be treated can be gemstones such as peridot or tektites such as revolutum. The amount of slurry used is sufficient to completely immerse the bead nuclei. The applicant's experience shows that, under the aforementioned pressure and temperature conditions, it typically takes more than 2 hours to attach a calcium carbonate-based film with a thickness of approximately 10 μm to the surface of the bead nuclei. More preferably, the pressure is 1.2–1.5 atm and the temperature is 740–760 °C, under which the time to attach a calcium carbonate-based film with a thickness of approximately 10 μm to the surface of the bead nuclei is typically 2–4 hours. The applicant has found in experiments that the thickness of the calcium carbonate-based film attached to the surface of the bead nuclei has a certain influence on the thickness of the bead layer formed on the surface of the bead nuclei. When the calcium carbonate-based film is too thin, it is not conducive to the growth of the bead layer. In this application, the thickness of the calcium carbonate-based film is preferably 5–20 μm.

[0011] The cooling rate is preferably controlled at 5–10 °C / min.

[0012] The third technical solution of the present invention is to provide a method for cultivating peridot pearls, comprising the following steps:

[0013] 1) Obtain a bead core made of peridot;

[0014] 2) Place the bead nuclei in a reaction vessel, add the slurry described in claim 1, and keep it at a pressure greater than or equal to 1 atm and a temperature greater than or equal to 700°C for a certain period of time until a thin film adheres to the surface of the bead nuclei; then cool down, remove, and obtain the treated bead nuclei;

[0015] 3) After disinfecting the treated pearl nucleus, implant it into the pearl oyster and then raise the pearl oysters using conventional methods.

[0016] In step 1) of the above cultivation method, the olivine ore is processed into bead nuclei using existing conventional methods, such as conventional cutting, grinding, and polishing of the olivine ore to obtain olivine bead nuclei. The shape of the bead nuclei can be a conventional shape, such as a sphere, an ellipse, a teardrop shape, or a gourd shape; or it can be an irregular shape designed according to user requirements.

[0017] In step 2) of the above cultivation method, the amount of slurry, pressure, temperature, holding time and cooling rate are all the same as those mentioned above.

[0018] In step 3) of the above cultivation method, ozone is preferably used to disinfect the treated pearl nuclei at room temperature. The principle is mainly based on the strong oxidizing properties of ozone, which allows it to effectively eliminate harmful microorganisms. The mechanism involves oxidizing and decomposing enzymes needed by bacteria and destroying viral proteins, thus inactivating the bacteria and viruses. Furthermore, ozone can react with lipid double bonds in the bacterial cell wall, invading the cell, damaging organelles and DNA, leading to cell death. Ozone disinfection is more effective than high-pressure boiling water disinfection, with a shorter disinfection time and higher production efficiency. The pearl oysters mentioned are those commonly used for pearl cultivation, such as Pinctada martensii.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention is characterized by:

[0020] 1. A special treatment is performed on the peridot nucleus using a specific ratio of slurry, forming a calcium carbonate-based film on the surface of the peridot nucleus. The presence of this film can effectively improve the affinity between nacre and the peridot nucleus, effectively promoting the formation of a transparent or translucent nacre layer on the nucleus. Moreover, the nacre layer thickens as the cultivation time increases, solving the problem that pearl oysters using peridot as the nucleus alone cannot form a nacre layer or the nacre layer formed is too thin.

[0021] 2. The pearl nucleus obtained by treating the peridot nucleus using the slurry and treatment method described in this invention, and then implanting it into pearl oysters for cultivation, produces a gemstone pearl. Its appearance varies depending on the natural color of the peridot ore, ranging from light green, light yellow, to light gray. The resulting pearl has a good surface luster, good light transmission, is crystal clear, and has excellent roundness. Its exterior exhibits pearl-like qualities, while its interior is that of a genuine gemstone. Under the same conditions, pearl nuclei treated using the method described in this invention can yield pearls with a thicker nacre layer. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 The olivine bead nuclei used in Example 1 of this invention are olivine beads that have not undergone slurry treatment.

[0023] Figure 2 A photograph of a pearl cultivated according to the method described in Example 1 of this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To better explain the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0025] Example 1

[0026] 1. Prepare the slurry for treating bead nuclei.

[0027] Weigh out calcium carbonate (particle size 20-100 nm), borax, sodium metal (analytical grade), and water in a ratio of 30 g: 7.0 g: 3.0 g: 1000 ml. Mix the weighed borax and sodium metal evenly, then add water. Heat the resulting material to 70°C and keep it at that temperature for 0.3 h (at which point the solids will have dissolved). Then add calcium carbonate and stir evenly to obtain a slurry for treating bead nuclei.

[0028] 2. Cultivating peridot pearls

[0029] 2.1) Obtain a bead core made of peridot:

[0030] The raw olivine ore is cut into cubic particles, the edges are removed, and then ground into spheres (6.330mm in diameter). After further grinding and polishing, spherical bead nuclei (6.30mm in diameter) with a mirror-like surface finish are obtained. Figure 1 As shown;

[0031] 2.2) Place the spherical bead nucleus in a reaction vessel and add the aforementioned slurry to completely immerse the bead nucleus in the slurry; then keep it at a pressure of 1.2 atm and a temperature of 750℃ for 2 hours; then cool it down (cooling rate of 8℃ / min), take it out, and obtain the processed bead nucleus. The surface of the obtained bead nucleus is coated with a layer of calcium carbonate-based film. After testing (the thickness of the calcium carbonate-based film on the surface of the bead nucleus was detected by X-ray method, the same below), the thickness of the calcium carbonate-based film on the surface of the bead nucleus was 15 μm.

[0032] 2.3) The treated pearl nucleus is disinfected with ozone, then implanted into the sac of the Pinctada martensii oyster. The oysters with the implanted nucleus are cultured using conventional methods for one year before pearl harvesting. The harvested pearls are as follows: Figure 2 As shown.

[0033] Comparative Example 1: Cultured Peridot Pearls

[0034] The spherical olivine bead nuclei obtained by the method described in step 2.1) of Example 1 were used as bead nuclei. After disinfecting the bead nuclei with ozone, the same operation as in step 2.3) of Example 1 was used to complete the insertion of the nuclei and cultivate them for 1 year before harvesting the beads.

[0035] Comparative Example 2

[0036] Example 1 was repeated, except that in step 2.2), the heat preservation time was changed to 1 hour. The thickness of the calcium carbonate-based film adhering to the surface of the resulting bead nuclei was measured to be 4 μm.

[0037] Example 2

[0038] Example 1 was repeated, except that in step 2.2), the heat preservation time was changed to 10 hours. The thickness of the calcium carbonate-based film adhering to the surface of the resulting bead nuclei was measured to be 20 μm.

[0039] Example 3

[0040] 1. Prepare the slurry for treating bead nuclei.

[0041] Weigh out calcium carbonate (particle size 20-100 nm), borax, sodium metal (analytical grade), and water in a ratio of 25 g: 7.5 g: 4.0 g: 1000 ml. Mix the weighed borax and sodium metal evenly, then add water. Heat the resulting material to 50°C and keep it at that temperature for 0.5 h (at which point the solids will have dissolved). Then add calcium carbonate and stir evenly to obtain a slurry for treating bead nuclei.

[0042] 2. Cultivating peridot pearls

[0043] 2.1) Obtain a bead core made of peridot:

[0044] The raw olivine ore is cut into cubic particles, the edges are removed and then ground into spheres (6.330mm in diameter). After grinding and polishing, a spherical bead core (6.30mm in diameter) with a mirror-like surface finish is obtained.

[0045] 2.2) Place the spherical bead nuclei in a reaction vessel and add the aforementioned slurry to completely immerse the bead nuclei in the slurry; then keep it at a pressure of 1.2 atm and a temperature of 750℃ for 3 hours; then cool it down (cooling rate of 8℃ / min), take it out, and obtain the treated bead nuclei. The surface of the obtained bead nuclei is coated with a calcium carbonate-based thin film. The thickness of the calcium carbonate-based thin film on the surface of the bead nuclei is 9 μm.

[0046] 2.3) The treated pearl nuclei are disinfected with ozone and then implanted into the sac of Pinctada martensii. The pearl oysters with the implanted nuclei are cultured for one year using conventional methods before harvesting the pearls.

[0047] Example 4

[0048] 1. Prepare the slurry for treating bead nuclei.

[0049] Weigh out calcium carbonate (particle size 20-100 nm), borax, sodium metal (analytical grade), and water in a ratio of 40 g: 6.0 g: 2.0 g: 1000 ml. Mix the weighed borax and sodium metal evenly, then add water. Heat the resulting material to 100°C and keep it at that temperature for 0.3 h (at which point the solids will have dissolved). Then add calcium carbonate and stir evenly to obtain a slurry for treating bead nuclei.

[0050] 2. Cultivating peridot pearls

[0051] 2.1) Obtain a bead core made of peridot:

[0052] The raw olivine ore is cut into cubic particles, the edges are removed and then ground into spheres (6.330mm in diameter). After grinding and polishing, a spherical bead core (6.30mm in diameter) with a mirror-like surface finish is obtained.

[0053] 2.2) Place the spherical bead nuclei in a reaction vessel and add the aforementioned slurry to completely immerse the bead nuclei in the slurry; then keep it at a pressure of 1.5 atm and a temperature of 742℃ for 2 hours; then cool it down (cooling rate of 5℃ / min), take it out, and obtain the treated bead nuclei. The surface of the obtained bead nuclei is coated with a calcium carbonate-based thin film. The thickness of the calcium carbonate-based thin film on the surface of the bead nuclei is 8 μm.

[0054] 2.3) The treated pearl nuclei are disinfected with ozone and then implanted into the sac of Pinctada martensii. The pearl oysters with the implanted nuclei are cultured for one year using conventional methods before harvesting the pearls.

[0055] Example 5

[0056] 1. Prepare the slurry for treating bead nuclei.

[0057] Weigh out calcium carbonate (particle size 5-50 nm), borax, sodium metal (analytical grade), and water in a ratio of 20 g: 8.0 g: 2.5 g: 1000 ml. Mix the weighed borax and sodium metal evenly, then add water. Heat the resulting material to 40°C and keep it at that temperature for 0.7 h (at which point the solids will have dissolved). Then add calcium carbonate and stir evenly to obtain a slurry for treating bead nuclei.

[0058] 2. Cultivating peridot pearls

[0059] 2.1) Obtain a bead core made of peridot:

[0060] The raw olivine ore is cut into cubic particles, the edges are removed and then ground into spheres (6.330mm in diameter). After grinding and polishing, a spherical bead core (6.30mm in diameter) with a mirror-like surface finish is obtained.

[0061] 2.2) Place the spherical bead nuclei in a reaction vessel and add the aforementioned slurry to completely immerse the bead nuclei in the slurry; then keep it at a pressure of 1 atm and a temperature of 760℃ for 8 hours; then cool it down (cooling rate of 10℃ / min), take it out, and obtain the treated bead nuclei. The surface of the obtained bead nuclei is coated with a calcium carbonate-based thin film. The thickness of the calcium carbonate-based thin film on the surface of the bead nuclei is 5 μm.

[0062] 2.3) The treated pearl nuclei are disinfected with ozone and then implanted into the sac of Pinctada martensii. The pearl oysters with the implanted nuclei are cultured for one year using conventional methods before harvesting the pearls.

[0063] The appearance, roundness, luster, and nacre thickness of the pearls collected in Examples 1-4 and Comparative Examples 1-3 were tested, and the results are shown in Table 1 below.

[0064] Table 1 Comparison of Evaluation Indicators for Cultured Peridot Pearls under Different Technical Schemes

[0065]

Claims

1. A method for treating bead nuclei with slurry, characterized in that, The slurry and bead nuclei were placed in a reaction vessel and kept at a pressure of 1.2~1.5 atm and a temperature of 740~760℃ for a certain period of time until a thin film adhered to the surface of the bead nuclei. Then, the mixture was cooled and removed to obtain the treated bead nuclei. The slurry is prepared from calcium carbonate, borax, metallic sodium, and water using the following method: borax and metallic sodium are mixed evenly, then water is added, and the resulting material is heated until the solids dissolve. Then, calcium carbonate is added and stirred evenly to obtain the slurry. The ratio of calcium carbonate, borax, metallic sodium, and water is 20-40g: 6-8g: 2-4g: 1000ml. The calcium carbonate is nano-sized calcium carbonate. The bead core is made of peridot. The cooling rate is 5~10℃ / min.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ratio of calcium carbonate, borax, metallic sodium and water is 25~35g: 6.5~7.5g: 2.5~3.5g: 1000ml.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ratio of calcium carbonate, borax, metallic sodium and water is 30g:7.0g:3.0g:1000ml.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bead core can be spherical, elliptical, teardrop-shaped, or gourd-shaped.

5. A method for cultivating peridot pearls, comprising the following steps: 1) Obtain a bead core made of peridot; 2) Place the bead nuclei in a reaction vessel, add the slurry described in claim 1, and maintain the temperature at 1.2~1.5 atm and 740~760℃ for a certain period of time until a thin film adheres to the surface of the bead nuclei. Then cool down and remove the bead nuclei to obtain the treated bead nuclei; wherein, The slurry is prepared from calcium carbonate, borax, metallic sodium, and water using the following method: borax and metallic sodium are mixed evenly, then water is added, and the resulting material is heated until the solids dissolve. Then, calcium carbonate is added and stirred evenly to obtain the slurry. The ratio of calcium carbonate, borax, metallic sodium, and water is 20-40g: 6-8g: 2-4g: 1000ml. The calcium carbonate is nano-sized calcium carbonate. The cooling rate is 5~10℃ / min; 3) After disinfecting the treated pearl nucleus, implant it into the pearl oyster and then raise the pearl oysters using conventional methods.

6. The cultivation method according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step 1), the shape of the bead core is spherical, elliptical, teardrop-shaped, or gourd-shaped.

7. The cultivation method according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step 2), the ratio of calcium carbonate, borax, metallic sodium and water is 25~35g: 6.5~7.5g: 2.5~3.5g: 1000ml.

8. The cultivation method according to claim 7, characterized in that, In step 2), the ratio of calcium carbonate, borax, sodium metal and water is 30g:7.0g:3.0g:1000ml.

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