[J Marcus]

A few weeks ago I was on a beach on Chuckanut Bay (Washington) and I came across a clamshell measuring 62mm X 50mm (about 2.5" X 2") that is a lovely shade of purple on the inside. My first thought was to wonder if Quahogs had not somehow been transported to the Pacific side of the continent. However, I did a Google search and found that is an asian exotic, Nuttallia obscurata, that seems to have gotten a start here in the '90s. Here's a link to an article about it:

http://faculty.washington.edu/cemills/Nuttallia.html

If you will notice the illustrations at the beginning of the article, it looks as though there are blisters or attached solid pearls in a couple of the shells. I thought it worth noting because it brings up the distinct possibility that we may be seeing purple pearls showing up from the west coast of the U. S. I haven't gotten out with my clamming shovel yet, but I have plans. . . (Besides, they're supposed to be delicious!) They don't get too large, apparently, but even smallish ones would be fun to find or see.

Marc
http://www.flyrodjewelry.com/home.html