[Slraep]

Originally Posted by CEO

Lawd I had to adjust my glasses because I thought you said chitlin. I know pigs don't make pearls.

Chitlin? A chitlin pearl? Hehehehehehhheheh, that's phat!

Oh yes pigs do. It's just that the pearl is found IN the chitlins.

http://www.bezoarmustikapearls.com/pig.html

Carry on....

Yes Sir/Ma' am.

Slraep

[Slraep]

Hah!! Pliny The Elder had something to say about crab pearls. They are apparently found in a different part of the crab and not in the claw like the one found by the woman in the article. And if you should find such a pearl and suffer from from any kind of urinary disorder, then you are doubly lucky!

Thanks to Farlang

http://www.farlang.com/gemstones/agr...alogy/page_158

"Two hemispherical stones are found in the head of the river crab which some people set in jewelry. These produce abundant urine when taken internally."

Slraep

[Caitlin]

This page on Steve's link has little lockets for bezoars. I think it would be good for keeping quahog pearls.

[smetzler]

I am having as much fun with this as anyone but a complementary point of view deserves to be presented…

Beauty is the quest, and there is beauty to be discovered in the broader world of 'pearls' just as there is a surfeit of ugliness (and fraud) in the nacreous realm. And as pointed out elsewhere, commonly-recognized oyster and conch pearls are only two of the nine sacred pearls of the Garuda Purana. And remember that conch (and melo-melo, giant clam, quahog, etc), while commonly accepted as pearls, are non-nacreous and more accurately classified as bezoars. Even nacreous abalone, from a univalve, does not satisfy some modern-day purists' definition of a pearl.

The Indonesian website previously linked in this thread is a serious and professional company with whom I have dealt. In first browsing through their myriad offerings over one year ago there were, among the chaff or purely spiritual offerings, items of striking beauty. In a weak moment, I actually purchased a polished Nagasari Tree pearl from this page. At the time, just one of the four pictured 'pearls' remained, and it happened to be my favorite (shown below in Seattle today with the grain of fossilized tree sap provided as nourishment for its 96-year-old spirit, Yana—as well as a sacred Muslim talisman of fortune thrown in at no extra charge!). The seller has not been able to replace the pearl to date, as evidenced by the continuing 'sold out' status. He has also responded lucidly to questions arising from skepticism on my earlier thread. Additionally, this source seems to be the end-all authority on the controversial coconut pearl, a pearl whose purported existence is given noteworthy page space in Strack.

This forum knows that my wife and I have thoroughly enjoyed discovering the natural wonders of pearls in recent months. Yet we can honestly say that our Nagasari Tree pearl is among our most prized possessions.

So show me a genuine crab 'pearl' of striking beauty and uniqueness, and will probably have to consider it…

Steve

[Nicole]

I checked out the bezoar/mustika pearls site. I don't have any idea what any of those things are supposed to be! Especially the dragon pearls. And this site is supposed to be one of the more legitimate sites selling these types of things? How strange.

Nicole

[smetzler]

Originally Posted by Nicole

How strange.

Strange indeed!

Here is some commentary on dragons and pearls. In anticipation of the occasional exploration from the conventional pearl world, the site contains innumerable links and downloads to educate new viewers. I haven't even begun to explore, but have no doubt that the offerings are rare, and that the images faithfully represent what is offered for sale.

[Nicole]

Some of the items offered on the bezoar/mustika pearl site are pretty, but what are they, really? If they were found inside various plants and animals, then where were the dragon pearls found? And what am I supposed to make of this quote on the home page:

"Certain transparent type of mustika pearls may be "glass" formed by Nature. The how and why of some of these are not known. Lab testing may indicate "glass" in their reports but this does not explain their origin when shamans and even laypersons have found these pearls in the sea, dens and in the bodies of animals--especially snakes."

Lab testing may indicate that some of these things they are selling are GLASS? Seriously.

[smetzler]

The website quote constitutes disclosure. Also note that dragon pearls are offered under the heading 'Mythical.' Bezoars are no mystery, these are calcareous concretions common to all animals. Yes, the firm has indicated in private communications that regular contact with Gemmological Labs in SE Asia (primarily Bangkok) is maintained, and that the labs 'scratch their heads', particularly regarding the fossilization of tree sap in time periods supposedly less than a geological age.

Please don't take my posts as a defense, they are simply a report from a satisfied customer, in the best Pearl-Guide.com tradition. As mentioned, it has been over one year since our purchase of the Nagasari Tree Pearl and it has not been replaced—which would be easy to do if the object had been manufactured. (BTW, tumbling/polishing service is offered for the unpolished examples still on offer, in case anyone else out there is willing to take a chance…)

In any case, it would be accurate to describe my pearl experience to date as 'charmed.'

Steve

[john675]

Steve, thanks for your counterpoint. It is actually refreshing for me to see it. Sometimes skepticism takes over from just allowing people to appreciate what they will. After all, everybody has an opinion and it is important to respect the opinions of others.

John

[smetzler]

Originally Posted by john675

Sometimes skepticism takes over…

Thanks for the solidarity. Count me firmly among the skeptics as well, but with a grain or two of innocence—and a nagging concept of the existence of parallel universes—still…

This recalls some sage advice received from colleagues too many years ago that I would "become jaded sooner or later" (how ironic that such advice should invoke a precious gem!).

Steve

[Nicole]

John,

I actually wasn't attacking Steve, or anyone else who appreciates the items on that site for whatever reason. If someone wants to buy mystical dragon pearls, I don't have a problem with that. Someone posted the site for us to look at, and I went and looked at it, and I just pointed out some things which seemed to not add up.

Unless you happen to find a bezoar inside an animal yourself (or one of the plant/tree pearl thingies) is there any way of authenticating it? I'm actually asking, because I don't know if there are tests for that kind of thing. Is there any way to know that these are not just stones that the website owner picked up in his backyard? And the fact that some of these items are actually glass, to me seems fishy. But if someone wants to believe that it's magical glass, I'm not going to disrespect that person's beliefs.

The only problem I see in all of this is not that people like, appreciate, or believe in these magical objects. It's that it ultimately comes down to believing this one individual's claims about the objects, their origins, their shamanic/psychic verification, their powers, etc. And in the case of Steve, he said he was in contact with the website owner, and he felt that the person was trustworthy and he's happy with his purchase. But, I get the impression that he likes the tree pearl because it's pretty. Any magical powers would be icing on the cake, in this case.

Nicole

[smetzler]

Originally Posted by Nicole

I get the impression that he likes the tree pearl because it's pretty. Any magical powers would be icing on the cake, in this case…

Nicole, that's right. According to the owner of the site a pearl is not 'mustika' unless it is a natural anomaly. As an anomaly within my experience in pearls, and as a unique object in and of itself, we are pleased. Besides, my wife gets it out and holds it most every day, as though it were one of those super jumbo keshi we obtained from the Cook islands. That's the REAL icing!

[Caitlin]

Maybe some elephant pearls really are (some kind of)gall stones too.