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Any pearls from Manilla clams are exeedingly rare.

As I'm sure you are aware, this clam (Venerupis phillipinarium) is considered an invasive species. They hitchiked on Japanese Oysters when they...

Aragonite is a derivative of calcium carbonate.

Conchiolin is a combination of polysaccharide and glycoprotein.

The OP asked a scientific question and got a scientific answer.

It's hardly welcoming to suggest a new member search for terms they don't know or understand. Other than Ca2 and CaCO3, I searched the keywords and they don't exist on this board, no less in any...

We don't have Pinctada sp. in Canada. I have yet to see evidence that species form shells any differently than any other mollusk. In the absence of certain specimens, the use of analogs is a widely...

Agreed. Especially in areas where mussel shells disintegrate downward to gravity or clam shells that move upward by wave action. Some wind exposed beaches have no sand at all, just shells or other...

http://lib.fit.edu/images/library-displays/200703/ThrowingStick.jpg

I always liked this shot of a Lakota boy with dentalium and pearls, although they are likely just beads.

Though a little off...

Early to mid 20th. Too early in the 20th would almost certainly mean the elder would have been buried with their wealth. It's only in more recent times with estates, probate and funerals when...

Any foreign body in the extrapallial space gets stuck to the shell like anything else. Clay Buddahs, your car keys, fish, snails... and yes... sand.

Sand pasted to the shell is really common in...

What an unusual collection!

A few of the pieces appear to be natural pearls. One pearl attached to a shell, another conjunction and some rounds.

I think your first assessment is reasonable, as...

These were sourced from China?

They do look alike. It's easy to get thrown off track when nice findings are fashioned with otherwise inexpensive pearls.

There has been discussions here, albeit...

As you know, when you open a shell you kill the animal, however the epithelial cells continue to live for a period of time. It is possible that a parasite (or other trauma) can displace epithelial...

In the case of extrapallial pearls, it's merely a coincidence. If you stand between a paint sprayer and a wall, you'll get painted to the wall. Many of the parasites bore through the shell into the...

That's a serious question. I'm no specialist in that area either, but it always comes up in the differential diagnosis. In the absence evidence by instrumentation, I take a lot of guesses. It usually...

Interesting pearls.

They certainly present as natural.

These look as though they can be candled easily. Even without back light, these pearls appear somewhat transluscent. A good sign.

Also...

Biwa, perhaps?

Too many concerns for me to call these pearls.

Likely polished or tumbled shell.

I found you don't ask eBay to take things down. You tell eBay to take things down lest they be found liable for theft of IP rights.

File a DMCA on the images ($10.00 US filing fee), then send eBay...

Those were good questions. Sometimes, it's important to have clarity on some basic points to understand something more complex.




Shellfish have reflexes, but not pain as we know it.

The...

Hormones.




Mollusks without siphons are called lamellibranchs, which have gills that consist of long, folded filaments with cilia at the end that draw in water for respiration and also filter...

We had someone a year or so ago with similar story although they had more than one piece. I suspected alabaster, onyx or similar material.

Natural pearl ID and grading are largely based on a...

large gem grade natural abalone pearl


At 8mm and 200/ct this is a bargain. A good choice for someone on a budget, yet serious enough to start a collection.

We often get posters looking for...

It's definitely not from a mussel. What did this come from, a clam or an oyster? Or was it merely found on the ground?

Finding shiny pearls on the ground just doesn't happen. Not even rarely or...

They are FWPs.

I normally just comment on natural pearls, but even in the light of misinformation, false advertising or outright scams, I'll always defend even the lowest quality pearls,...

I am from Vancouver Island and this pearl is typical, but a little nicer than most I have seen. Only a couple of days ago, we discussed pearls from Pacific Oysters (Crassostrea gigas).

The oysters...

It's wet, but I'd like to see another picture after it dried.

If they are found raw, as they were here, there is a small chance the pearl will have a (thick enough) nacreous surface. Normally,...