| Knotty,
Your thread brings new life to my earlier thread 'Other Non-Calcareous?' in which discussion ensued regarding mustika pearls and bezoar stones, inviting interesting input from an intermediary of Indonesian shamans. The same source subsequently provided information not available in Strack in support of the existence of coconut pearls (see pertinent threads).
My opening post from 'Other Non-Calcareous?' is pasted below. Currently in Madrid where the tree pearl 'sculpture' has been in storage for over two years, this thread provides the perfect excuse to unwrap and photograph the piece!
"While in Spain recently a local hotel was sponsoring an art exhibit and we purchased a 'sculpture' consisting of a natural root formation in which a loose round ball of the same wood was intricately—and naturally—entrapped. This was referred to by the artist as a 'pearl.' Subsequently searching 'tree pearls' on the internet one enters the murky world of shamanism and talismen, touting 'pearls' of all varieties, including every conceivable animal (dragon among them) and plant. The animal pearls (human, rat, frog, etc) would certainly qualify on this forum as calcareous concretions. However, viewing photos I was especially struck by the beauty of a number of tree pearls (notably Kusomo, Banana, Wild Orchid flower), but most particularly the mystical Nagasari of Java/East Indonesia."
Steve
Seattle |