[castiglia]

I found a pearl in a clam I was eating. It is purple/white in color and 6.5mm x 7.5mm is size. I am trying to find out information/value. Can anyone help me?

[jshepherd]

Post a picture. It sounds like you found a quahog.

[castiglia]

I have been told this before. I am from the north east. Are they anything special?

[Kevin Canning]

yes they can be worth a few dollars but don't believe the crazy hype on the Internet about getting thousands and thousands of dollars for the pearl - that won't happen.

The bad news is, that if it came from a cooked clam it will not be worth anything, the heat ruins the pearl.

[GemGeek]

They answered you on the other thread where you first posted your message. Did you look after posting? People post on finding these quahog pearls frequently here, although they aren't common.

Was the clam cooked before you found the pearl? You didn't answer that question and most people don't eat raw clams. If it wasn't cooked, it might have some value.

As an aspiring appraiser, I can tell you that it's worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. Because it doesn't have a market, and is, as Catilin says, an oddity, you can find out its value by auctioning it off, say, on eBay. When you have something that doesn't have a defined market, you can have trouble finding a buyer.

By all means, please take and post a photograph and people will give you their thoughts. Asking about it without giving specific details such as size, color and a photo, is pointless. There was a lot of information in the first thread you posted on. You can also search for Quahog in the search box above.

[castiglia]

The pearl was in hot water. I guess that is bad news. No sense in going any further with it. Thank you for your information.

[GemGeek]

Maybe it could be a good-luck charm!

[The Pearl Outlet]

Don't toss it yet. I'd have to disagree with Kevin on this one. Hot water does not, in my experience, ruin pearls.

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by castiglia

The pearl was in hot water. I guess that is bad news. No sense in going any further with it.

Well...

Boiling is supposed to remove color, but the white ones are being bought and sold too... If that's what happened with yours. Allot of heat would destroy pearls making them brittle. But that sounds more like 'clam roast' then any normal recipe. Luckily those clams don't need much cooking or take much heat anyway.

Picture?

[GemGeek]

Well, duh, Castglia did give a color/measurement in this post. I hope I didn't scare him/her away. Come back and post a photo!

[purepearls]

It may be of some value, but like Kevin mentioned, they have been overvalued on the internet. The likelihood of getting a really great price for the Quahog is pretty slim, unless you can find the right buyer for it. It will make a great keepsake for you!

[Kevin Canning]

unless you can find the right buyer for it

Which is a nice way of saying "Hype the heck out the pearl and find a sucker"

Great keepsake though.

[castiglia]

Thanks for all the replies. We have been trying to get a clear picture of the pearl to post. Once we get one, we will post.

[castiglia]

This is the best picture we can get of our purple pearl. We are hoping to get to NY to get an x-ray of it to prove its authentic. Any suggestions now that the Florida couple has gone public with theirs?

[castiglia]

Two more that show another angle.