[Valeria101]

Some folks call them that - 'cave pearls'. They are calcite concretions that somehow are lucky enough to form as free-floating, rotating objects in a saturated solution and end up round (REF). Sometimes perfectly so! It can happen that at some point the round concretions settle down and become embedded in more calcite growth, their shapes dulled and distorted.

Anyhow, these things are rather unusual and quite spectacular to see in their original environment. The reaction is usually 'wow' !

Finding THIS listed today reminded those things.


Have seen my fair share of these during caving stints back in college vacations... Should have been wise enough to take pictures, I guess

Below is a more typical array of small 'cave pearls'.


Who says that bits of info have to be relevant to be fun!

[jshepherd]

Now a strand of those would be a unique addition to any pearl collection.

This pool of cave 'pearls' is something else.

[GemGeek]

How cool. Another item for our pearl trivia quiz

[Valeria101]

Hope no one gets the idea of a cave pearl strand!

Although a good number of caves have some such formations, it would be a pitty to 'harvest'. It takes centuries and rather idiosincratic conditions for these things to happen. Taken out of the water they are normal white pebbles. Only a section and magnification revels concentric layers, sometimes of different shades - like nacre layers in pearls (similar mechanical process, methinks).

[jshepherd]

Seriously, I feel like we should have a section of this Website called Valeria101's links. How you come up with the things you do always amazes me.

[GemGeek]

Originally Posted by jshepherd

Seriously, I feel like we should have a section of this Website called Valeria101's links. How you come up with the things you do always amazes me.

I agree. Valeria101 keeps surprising me with things I had no idea existed. My ultimate goal is to keep learning until the day I die. If I hang around here, that won't be a problem.

Thanks,
Blaire

[knotty panda]

Wasn't Wilma Flintstone the first woman to make Cave Pearls fashionable? I call Valeria my own "little internet search engine."

[GemGeek]

Originally Posted by knotty panda

Wasn't Wilma Flintstone the first woman to make Cave Pearls fashionable? I call Valeria my own "little internet search engine."

You are TOO funny Love the picture -- just think how heavy they would be if you translated that to our size in a six pearl necklace!

Cheers,
Blaire

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by GemGeek

... just think how heavy they would be if you translated that to our size in a six pearl necklace!

Gee! Those 'pearls' should be about 5cm long! ... allowing for uber-large knots/spacers and clasp.

I doubt I'd look as nice as Wilma wearing such monster beads, pearls or no pearls Can't imagine anyone pulling that sort of thing off, actually. Can you?

[purepearls]

Perhaps if you had a super, super skinny neck!

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by purepearls

Perhaps if you had a super, super skinny neck!

That too... but that doesn't mean I've got the math right in the previous post either, LOL!

Lets see... neckline is about 35cm (a tight choker length, othing really 'choking' that is). And the beads being large, the length of the strand will end up larger than that to accomodate their diameter. That would give 7.75 cm for bead length (77.5mm x 38.75mm) assuming 7 beads and a clasp of similar size or 8 claspless beads .... so that three show in a 2D picture on any side of the becklace, like in Wilma's picture. Now, that's assuming a 3D 'Wilma', a 2D cartoon charcater would actually get away with just 3 beads Not exactly wearable in the real world. Unless those were balls of feathers or something!

[salem]

Man, for pearls like that, does anyone else think Fred was drastically overpaid?

[Valeria101]

Hm... not if they were cave pearls (i.e. pebbles, appropriately so), he wasn't !

More seriously, what is the earliest record of pearl use for jewelry? I have seen several strands of natural pearls unearthed while excavating Babylon etc. but haven't taken notes of their dating to keep track. They were in reasonably wearable state too (gray, somewhat different sort of iridescence then you'd expect from 'fresh' pearls, but nothing to frown upon).

[Caitlin]

Hi Ana
Do ask me for a source, but I remember hearing of a strand that is 4,000 years old. I wonder if anyone else remembers that and can guide us to the source?

[knotty panda]

Valeria: How could pearls have been worn prior to a way of drilling them? I can't imagine a way to afix a pearl to anything before having a drill hole to mount it to metal or string. Any thoughts? Were they used as currency? Well, yes, they were, but I mean something more tangible as to value other than bead trading?

No, Salem, I don't think Fred was overpaid. Dinosaur wrangling in quarries in those days was arduous work. He just made it look easy