[Valeria101]

THIS is what I am talking about. There are other large white blister pearls labeled 'Abalone' on the same source and a few others.

Are these pearls bleached? From a different species altogether? Or just some other type of Abalone than it is used to produce the blue/green cultured blisters of nowadays?





Arts and Crafts at Tadema Gallery - more white abalone mabe!

[CortezPearls]

Nacreous "texture" seems unlike that of an Abalone (Haliotis) shell...appears to me to be more like a typical Pinctada pearl oyster. Did you notice the crack (left side) and the defect (lower right: a sub-cutaneous protein spot...typical of the attack of Polydora worms) on the 1st item???

There are certain varieties of Abalone that have lighter colored shells...like the Californian "Pinto Abalone" (Haliotis kamtschatkana), so this could be the culprit.

[Caitlin]

The bottom shell is so thick ..It looks like an Osmina pearl to me. The actual color and texture are what make me say that.

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by Caitlin Williams

The top shell is so thick ..It looks like an Osmina pearl to me. The actual color and texture are what make me say that.

Aren't those more elongated and gray?

Wouldn' imagine quite such a gaffe in ID for the lace and the price tag. Confusion about pearl species is about as far as I'd dare to wonder about. If even. Gotta' trust some...

[Caitlin]

I think #140 is a pinctada too. I actually meant the bottom shell #54 which looks like a thick chunk of shell more like a nautilus than a pinctada....I think the shape must reflect the shape of the shell it came from.

I was on a big osmina hunt a month or so ago because I realized a lot of people call osmina "mabe" pearls. There is a lot of confusion out there and I am perfectly happy saying I am in no way sure.....Anyway I saw osmina in both the gray-blue and in white with the same texture as the one above.

I have never seen abalone shells totally lacking in pattern. I have seen more of the Haliotis kamtschatkana shells than any other kind of abalone and no matter how pale, they still have mild rainbows in them.

[Valeria101]

The plot thickens a bit...

When starting this thread, I really didn't know that there is at least one species of Abalone that does have white nacre - the 'Mule Ears'! By their fancy name: Haliotis Asinina (Linnaeus).

'Guess now the question is: does anyone know of pearls from these shells at all?

As far as I understand, these things are cultured (link to one source of reports from Thailand) for meat and shells too, but not for pearls.

[Caitlin]

Here is a google image search for them. Aren't they pretty?

[Valeria101]

Too pretty!

Now the large blister pearls in those pins are starting to make sense - the shape does look like the flattened natural blisters from the 'normal' rainbow abalone.

There are so many species... maybe more white ones too. Didn't do an exhaustive search.

That report linked to in the previous post sort of hist at experiments with growing full abalone pearls. Wonder if the folks are on to something or I am just over-interpreting.

[smetzler]

Earlier this year I was rather intensely researching natural pearls following our 'discovery' of poe pipi in the Cooks the year prior, and gained contact with a professional abalone diver in the 'wild west' of Australia who had discovered and retained the pearls below. Haliotis Conicopora (Brown-lipped abalone) is the culprit.

The large horn is impressive, but the 10mm round is amazing, given that abalone rounds are nearly as mythical as unicorns. The pearl is described as having 'irridescent pinks, blues and greens shining through the nacre' leading me to believe that it is even finer than the photo, assuming it is without major blemishes throughout.

I did not purchase at the time due to the need for more information, and the consideration of secure payment. Short of doing a Jeremy Norris or Sue Hendrickson impersonation, what would forum members advise?

Steve
Seattle

[Caitlin]

Not sure what kind of advice you are asking for......If I could afford it, I'd buy it.

[Valeria101]

'Smetzler'!? It's been a while! And look what you came back with...

I wouldn't want to impersonate an exotic pearl expert here , just to drop a question about another unusual bit:

A bit ago there was some talk here about Windowpane Oysters (Placuna) and their pearls; a couple of articles mention some exiting trade with such pearls, but no one seems to have seen any. Any idea what they are like?

[smetzler]

Valeria 101…

Haven't been on line a lot lately, but the 'pearl' disease is systemic and irrepressible. Was pleased to catch this thread!

Placuna Sella/Red Pearls: This discussion was taking place when I joined last year, quite a head scratcher. A quick search may have found some new shell images, below. These from http://www.muschelshop.de in Germany. I'd be as happy with a window as with a pearl for the sake of curiosity.

H. Conicopora round abalone pearl: Was just hoping that someone might suggest a secure approach short of showing up on the guy's doorstep with cash!


Steve
Seattle

[knotty panda]

http://www.eglusa.com/jewelrywebguard.html

"Jewelry Webguard™

Consumer protection has long been a high priority in the jewelry industry, and the growth of Internet trading offers new challenges. EGL USA's unique Jewelry Webguard™ service protects consumers as well as gem dealers in their online transactions.

When you buy a certified stone online, ask the seller to ship it with the certificate to the nearest EGL USA office. Our lab will provide a third-party endorsement that the stone and its certificate match and will issue a Jewelry Webguard™ certificate. EGL USA then ships the stone, its original certificate and the new Jewelry Webguard™ certificate to you, the buyer.

Some insurance companies will not cover shipping between a dealer and a consumer without a third-party endorsement. The Jewelry Webguard™ service protects both parties in the transaction."

Or maybe the community is so small and the well-knowns are so prominent, perhaps Messrs. Norris, Rankin or Ms. Hendrickson would be willing to inspect/broker. (Ok, maybe not broker. You have to negotiate your own price, but maybe they would be willing to authenticate). Most law firms do this sort of transaction as well; you have to provide your own expert though.