Every Mollusc Forms A Pearl!
Well, maybe not all, but according to recent Pearl Society speaker Elisabeth Strack, the world is experiencing an explosion in the types of 'new' natural pearls now reaching notoriety – and the market.
Never have so many new types of natural pearls been recognized and brought to the attention of pearl connoisseurs at one time. Ms Strack, author of the definitive work "Pearls" and an internationally recognized expert with a laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, presented a masterful, well-documented catalog of the new pearls together with their host shell at the October 12, 2010 meeting of The Pearl Society.
But many of the new pearls may not be immediately attractive to those who wish to enhance womanly charms with a bright pearly luster.
When I first beheld "Lion's Paw" pearls a few years ago in Tucson, their violetish color and absence of nacre did not really impress. I knew they were produced by the pecten shell, the one claimed by every Shell gas station. Yes, most of those pearls were round, but they were small, and did not even possess the charm of a good conch pearl, with its mysterious flame structure. But the fire had been lit.
And now every one went back to search, and see if maybe they did have some sort of rare, unknown calcareous concretion, as the GIA calls such non-nacreous pearls, lying forgotten in a drawer.
Consider the Quahog shell: it is best known for the wampum old American Indian societies fashioned for ornament and currency. Quahog mussels live off the New England coast. But a couple of years ago someone brought out already- known but unappreciated Quahog pearls that their grandmothers might have worn in a humble pin.
The Pearl Society then received numerous anxious calls:" I found a Quahog purple and white pearl, it's in an old pin from my family in Connecticut, how much is it worth?"
The fire was blazing, and visions of potential fortunes danced in the firelight. A pearl's price, like that of any gem, depends on how many takers exist, and how high they are willing to bid. Therefore, the value of all such little known, and newly-publicized pearls is in flux, at least for the moment.
But enthusiasts are searching, and some collectors are beginning to reveal the rarities they had concealed until this moment. We heard about Cassis pearls, from the bright orange cassis shell, blue mussel pearls, and many, many others. At times it seemed as Ms Strack spoke, indeed, as though 'Every Mollusc forms a Pearl"!
Eve J. Alfille
October 16, 2010
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