michael zobel brooch
Definitely candy for the eyes and not the mouth, Conch (pronounced 'konk') pearls are the rarest type of pearl and always a natural (not cultured) pearl. Technically, its not even a pearl since it has no nacre, instead its made up of a structure of coarser aragonite and calcite crystals. They are so rare that, "1 in every 10,000 conch produce a pearl. From that, 1 in every 10,000 of those (that produce a pearl) has a flame. And 1 in every 30,000 of those (that has a flame) is of gem quality, and 1 in every 150-175,000 of those (that has gem quality + flame) has size AND quality" - Charles Ellias, our studio director, gemologist and creator of the conch pearl grading system among other things. Because no one has yet to figure out how to culture conch pearls like oyster pearls are, every conch pearl you see is natural.
Conch pearls come in a varity of colors; pink, red, orange, brown, tan, yellow, and white. The most sought after color is pink or red with a strong flame. White with flame is rare.
Queen Conchs are scarily close to extinction due to over-harvesting. This has forced countries that are conch producing to ban harvesting or severely limit it to protect the conch. These limits have only increased the rarity and value for gem quality conch pearls. The reason for the over-harvesting is not because of pearl demand, but because conch meat is considered a popular delicacy. The pearls are actually a by-product of the harvest. When fishermen are cleaning their catch, sometimes they'll find a pearl in the innards.
Conch pearls are a wonderful stone to set into jewelry. I really like how michael zobel incorporated a pink conch pearl in his brooch design. I think its great to set these pearls in a nontraditional design than the typical setting of a recreated conch shell in white or yellow gold set with the pearl or a traditional prong set ring. Zobel made a brooch look like a painting or even a zen garden depending on how you look at it. I think it sets the pearl off in a unique and beautiful way, don't you?
Well that wraps up this post. Charles is going to Tucson for the big gem show soon and will be giving a lecture on the conch pearl. We'll probably have another post about the conch pearl again after he's returned. (And we'll have fun stuff to tell about the Tucson trip of course!) So what do you think of the conch pearl? How would you like to wear it? Was this an informative post for you?
Here are some other links about conch pearls, if you'd like to learn more:
article from Modern Jeweler
Emeralds International
Pearl Guide
disclaimer: the photos in this post are not the property of Spiralz. They were found at the following sites: compass webworks, modern jeweler, and allaboutgemstones.
