[mikehrz]

You're probably familiar with the parable recorded in the Bible about the traveling pearl merchant who sold everything he had to buy one pearl of high value. What kind of pearl would it have been?

[Caitlin]

From the Persian Gulf- maybe a Qatari with its gold-rich content.

Here is a picture of one. It's the one in the center, though the other two are also from the Persian Gulf -the oldest and longest and most productive pearl beds, ever. And now they have had quite a nice "rest" for 70 years.... as a Wise man said on another thread.....

Are there different species in different parts of the Gulf? I don't have my Strack, yet.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Caitlin,

Yes there are. They have all kinds of pearly creatures there although the pinctada radiata (also called vulgaris but thats too vulgar sounding) is the most common. They also have pinctada margaritifera and its sub-species p.m. persica.

Zeide

[mikehrz]

Does anyone have a picture of a pinctada radiata pearl? Google failed me this time...
I did find an interesting result from googling pinctada margaritifera, though.
http://www.gia.edu/gemsandgemology/1...cle_detail.cfm
A "black-lipped" oyster producing yellow pearls is interesting. Of course, you pearl experts already knew this. Sorry, but all these Latin names are Greek to me.

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Mike,

Caitlin's pearls just two posts up from yours are radiatas.

Zeide

[mikehrz]

Wow, that was easy. Do the radiata produce multiple colors as margaritifera do?

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi Mike,

They produce many different colors from white to pink to blue to black to golden.

Zeide

[mikehrz]

Thanks. Very interesting information, as always.