[PearlFinderCharles]

Since my discovery of my Whelk Pearl i have dug deep to find all the information i could. I believe i have a much broader knowledge of these. Thank you also to all have helped !


Q. What is the difference between conch and Whelk?
A. Conch is a creature and scungelli is the Italian word for whelk, another creature. Conchs and whelks are often confused. Both of them are essentially large snails. Both are mollusks with one shell (gastropods, or univalves, as opposed to bivalves, or double-shelled mollusks, such as clams and oysters). The muscle, or part that is eaten, of each, resembles a foot. Both have a tendency to be tough, and are usually tenderized by vigorous pounding. The big difference — and you heard it here first — is that conchs inhabit tropical waters and live off of vegetation, while whelks generally live in somewhat colder waters and are carnivorous, terrorizing smaller mollusks, breaking through their shells with the hard knobs of their own shells, and reaching their greedy, extensible, toothy proboscises right into their victims' shells for a feeding frenzy.

The odds on finding one of the Whelk Pearls from here on the east coast is much higher than that of the Florida keys. 1 in 250,000.And in this quality is even higher. Queen Conch are Vegetarians and eat only seaweed and other veggies of the ocean. Whelks are Carnivores and eat all things that get in their grasp. The Salmon colored Pearl i aqquired is more rare that that of the Queen Conch. But i believe the bright Salmon color is because of the colder waters ,Growth factors & Diet.

Just some info
from:
Pearl Finder Charles

[Manutea]

Any chance of a pic, Warren?

Manu

[PearlFinderCharles]

The picture above is the exact color.



The Pearl is loose and has never been inserted in any jewelry. I did these examples of what it would look like in some beautiful pieces of Gold....Did i do good ?


Some of you asked me to set it in jewelry, i figured i'd make some images using my Pearl...so you get ideas. Thank you all for your help !

If anyone is interested in this pearl,contact me. I have now a Solid offer of $2600.00.

God Bless,
Pure Finder Charles (A.K.A. Quahog Man )

[GemGeek]

Charles, it may end up being your precious family heirloom. Of course, you never know what the future will bring, so keep up the positive attitude!

[Kevin Canning]

I like the ring setting and $2600 sounds like a great price for the pearl.

[PearlFinderCharles]

Originally Posted by GemGeek

Charles, it may end up being your precious family heirloom. Of course, you never know what the future will bring, so keep up the positive attitude!

If it ends up staying at home, that's o.k with me. The more i look at it , the more i like it

[GemGeek]

Originally Posted by PearlFinderCharles

If it ends up staying at home, that's o.k with me. The more i look at it , the more i like it

Oh, I see you have a solid offer now. Congratulations!!!

[Ashley]

That's quite the difference- and some very interesting info, Charles! Excellent job!

Q: Does the Whelk's carnivorous diet enhance the color of the pearl, and if so, to what extent?...

Q: Obviously, the colder temperatures lead to finer crystallization of organic material (well, assuming that the snail's metabolic processes slow down in cooler temps which I think is a fairly safe idea); does the colder temperature enhance the flame pattern of the pearl?

I would think that a slower crystallization process would ensure that the concretions were ultimately more transparent (and thus their flame patterns more pronounced) than their warmer water cousins... Just a thought

[Valeria101]

You know how to make a girl dream!

[Valeria101]

Oops... It is as photoshop as yours. Sorry. In fact, I hope the source of the picture would either not find out or be amused (www . artofplatinum . com)

[PearlFinderCharles]

Is the pearl yours ?
I notice that it also has line through the middle as well. Do you know where the pearl came from ? As in what part of the country & what species ?

PearlFinderCharles

[PearlFinderCharles]

[quote=Ashley]That's quite the difference- and some very interesting info, Charles! Excellent job!

Q: Does the Whelk's carnivorous diet enhance the color of the pearl, and if so, to what extent?...

Q: Obviously, the colder temperatures lead to finer crystallization of organic material (well, assuming that the snail's metabolic processes slow down in cooler temps which I think is a fairly safe idea); does the colder temperature enhance the flame pattern of the pearl?


A1: Crowned Whelk,Lightning Whelks & Channel Whelks are the Carnivores here. Being a diver i get to see odd things underwater. I have watched them eat Quahogs, Steamer Clams etc.. I believe that since they eat shell to get to the meat, they inherit a different structure of a pearl created in a whelk vs Conch. That is as far as what i can see. The Crowned Whelk here in New England have a very Orange Interior shell. The Conch from around the Florida keys has a pinkish interior and eats a softer diet of sea weeds and such ( Vegetarian ).

A2: I have found on this subject that the Whelk does not have a flame pattern at all, but a "Cat's Eye" Affect. I have found 2 others from here that also had the Cat's Eye affect.
I may not be an expert yet, but i reasearch daily and also observe these in the wild. Quite an experience.

[Slraep]

Originally Posted by PearlFinderCharles

I believe that since they eat shell to get to the meat, they inherit a different structure of a pearl created in a whelk vs Conch.

Hi Charles,

Do they actually eat the shell of their prey or just perforate it? I always thought they pried shell open and only munched on the meaty parts.

Slraep

[PearlFinderCharles]

Actually, they eat it. They grind it down to tiny pieces. I believe this is how the Pearl is created. I'll have to share some underwater pictures i have taken of this. Whelks main diet is Quahogs from what i've seen underwater.

[Slraep]

Hi Charles,

Why would they need to eat shell? There are plenty of minerals in sea water. There is an abundance of calcium carbonate everywhere. That's how marine creatures make their own shells.

I'm not convinced they eat shell. They use their radula for boring, crushing and scraping but that doesn't neccessarily mean they are digesting or internally processing foreign shell. The beautiful orange colour of their own inner shell and "pearl" most likely comes from the micro-algae they scrape off rocks and eat. Algae is very rich in all types of micro-pigments such as carotenoids and many others. Yes, the Crowned Welk eats this micro-algae.

Slraep