[whatpearl]

Does anyone know when and where the next big pearl auction or sales going to be?

[Caitlin]

No I don't, but sign up for the Christies catalog site. And any other big auction house- I am having senior moment and can't remember any others at the moment. I am sure someone else will take up the lag, though.

Places like that usually have several natural pieces-certified, of course. Also PM member tom stern. I think his handle is something like DrTKStern. He has some good naturals. He gets everything certified which I think anyone selling naturals needs to do. He has big round ones though I am not sure about the color match with yours- you really can't compare color with only photos- Pearls are notorious for changing in different lights.

[whatpearl]

Lets say I have a somewhat large Natural Pearl. And i want to gain some interest$ from it. Do I go auction or just regular sale? Is there a cheaper way to authenticate that it truely is a pearl?

[Nerida]

If it is truly a natural pearl, the certification process will seem a pittance compared to the pearl's value.... any prospective buyer will demand certification to clarify authenticity on something so valuable.

[whatpearl]

here's the thing. I don't know how much this pearl would price and where to beguin to find prospective buyers who are interested.

[Nerida]

There are a few contributors here with special interest in this area - they are sure to chime in when the time zones suit..

[salem]

Hi whatpearl,


Yeah, there are a lot of experts on various pearl types here. I would suggest posting a few, good quality pictures and as many details as possible(measurements, pearl type, location found, pearl history(did you buy it from someone else or did you happen to discover it yourself) and any other info you have on it. Pictures, size and pearl type are the most critical at first. Good luck!

[whatpearl]

I'll post the pictures as soon as I have it. Including details about it. But for now loads of information would do me good.
I'm sure you all know how very skeptic, careful, doubtful, etc one could be. Especially when you are walking through unfamiliar grounds.

[Mikeyy]

isn't the vegas show next?

[Caitlin]

The only way to claim a pearl for sale is natural is to get it certified. I'd say that only one out of a million "natural" pearls advertised as such, without certification, are really natural---- The rest are cultured and most people don't know the difference --or they do know the difference and are trying to cheat the buyer.

There really is no honest substitute for certifcation.

Well, there might be. If you are in the same area as a well known pearl expert and they are interested in buying, they can often tell you if it is natural- but that is not certification if they don't want to buy.

I am not sure, but I think most of those guys are on this board- so some very enlarged detail photos would help someone like that decide if they are interested.

[whatpearl]

Hypothetically speaking. Lets say the pearl is real. It has certification. Where do I beguine to market or getting it into a reliable high yielding auction?

[GemGeek]

You haven't even said what type it is. Is it a pearl from an oyster? (i.e. a shiny pearl coated with nacre) Or a colored pearl from a clam?

Color, size, shape, surface quality, what kind, where it originated -- these are things that would help us help you. For it to have any significant value, you would have to prove that it was a natural pearl by having it certified, preferably by the GIA lab.

And put up a photo. We can't help you without some information - facts! We need facts!

[whatpearl]

Here it is.. "The pearl is a calcareous concretion from the Tridacna gigas or giant clam family, it weigh 2.6 kilograms, bigger than the baseball/soft ball. The color is white, the size is 10.5 inches by 12.5 inches, with regard to the shape it is almost round, the quality is good, it is a giant clam pearl like the Pearl of Allah .Found during the Holy month of Ramadan October 7, 2007. when Friends of mine went out fishing and gathering sea shells for food, in order for them to have something to break for their fast in the evening.They found a clam, and when they opened it, they saw the pearl.

Thats all I have for now... God permits hopefully soon ill have pictures for you all.

[GemGeek]

Do people eat that kind of clam? It sounds pretty dubious, although I have no reason to doubt you think your friends are being honest with you. If I may suggest, contact Bonhams & Butterfields auction house. They have a "natural history" auction about once a quarter and your pearl might fit there. If you are truly interested, they can give you an estimated valuation as part of offering for auction.

It is not a jewel, rather, it's more of a natural curiousity that an artifact collector would be interested in. You can see that there is a huge tridacna shell in the sale.

Example:

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/publi...&iSaleNo=16422

Good Luck!

[GemGeek]

Tridacna Gigas is a protected species in many countries - be warned!