Cream and Pearl

## Summary

The **Cream** gene dilutes hair pigments to varying degrees depending on the genotype. There are three alleles; **C**, **c**, and **cp**, in order of dominance. C produces cream, the amount of which depends on whether it is heterozygous or homozygous. c produces no cream, and if homozygous or paired with cp, produces no visual change in coat color. cp produces pearl, also known as the *Barlink Factor*, and if homozygous creates a pearl coat, but if paired with cream creates a cream pearl coat.
A single cream allele, commonly called a *single dilute*, turns red pigment to yellow. Homozygous cream, commonly called a *double dilute*, turns red pigment to a pale cream and black to tan. Pearl, when homozygous, turns red to an apricot color. Cream pearl, a combination of a single cream allele and a single pearl allele, creates a pseudo-double dilute.

* Cc = Single Dilute
* CC = Double Dilute
* Ccp = Cream Pearl
* cc/ccp = Non-Dilute
* cpcp = Pearl

## Cream and Pearl on Black

On black horses, a single dilute produces smoky black, a double dilute produces smoky cream, a cream pearl produces classic cream pearl, and pearl produces classic pearl.

Smoky BlackSmokyCream.pngSmoky CreamClassic Cream PearlClassic Pearl
## Cream and Pearl on Chestnut

On chestnut horses, a single dilute produces palomino (which comes in multiple shades), a double dilute produces cremello, a cream pearl produces cream pearl, and pearl produces pearl. Chestnut has a special case where black chestnut and pearl makes shaded pearl.

PalominoCremelloCreamPearl.pngCream PearlPearlShadedPearl.pngShaded Pearl
### Shades of Palomino

Palomino comes in 6 shades; dark, golden, copper, bright, blonde, and isabella.

Dark PalominoGolden PalominoCopper PalominoBright PalominoBlonde PalominoIsabella Palomino
## Cream and Pearl on Bay

On bay horses, a single dilute produces buckskin, a double dilute produces perlino, a cream pearl produces amber cream pearl, and pearl produces amber pearl.

BuckskinPerlino.pngPerlinoAmber Cream PearlAmber Pearl
## Cream and Pearl on Brown

On brown horses, a single dilute produces brown buckskin, a double dilute produces perlino, a cream pearl produces brown cream pearl, and pearl produces brown pearl.

Brown BuckskinPerlino.pngPerlinoBrown Cream PearlBrown Pearl
## Cream and Pearl on Seal Brown

On seal brown horses, a single dilute produces smoky brown, a double dilute produces perlino, a cream pearl produces sable cream pearl, and pearl produces sable pearl.

Smoky BrownPerlino.pngPerlinoSable Cream PearlPearlSable.pngSable Pearl
## Combinations

Cream and pearl can combine with other dilution genes to create even more colors.

### Single Dilute on Dun

On dun horses, a single dilute produces silvery grulla on a black base, dunalino on a chestnut base, dunskin on a bay or brown base, and silvery slate grulla on a seal brown base.

SilveryGrulla.pngSilvery GrullaDunalinoDunskinSilverySlateGrulla.pngSilvery Slate Grulla
### Double Dilute on Dun

A double dilute produces smoky grulla on a black base, cremello dun on a chestnut base, perlino dun on a bay or brown base, and smoky slate grulla on a seal brown base.

SmokyGrulla.pngSmoky GrullaCremelloDun.pngCremello DunPerlinoDun.pngPerlino DunSmoky Slate GrullaPearl GrullaPearl Slate Grulla
### Cream Pearl on Dun

Cream pearl produces claybank dun on bay or brown base.

Claybank Dun