Pearl Maxima in Naturalis/Leiden

[olmander]

The Dutch museum of Natural History in Leiden has in the last two weeks an exhibition of one pearl - one of the largest pearls in the world, Pearl Maxima. This giant is 71 mm high and weighs 119 gramm. It resides already for 140 years in the Netherlands, and was only once demonstrated in public. It has a bizarre form, often associated with the birth of Venus on Boticelli painting. The colours vary from cream-white to golden. The pearl is supposed to be several centuries old.

The first owner of the pearl was the Polish count Plonsky from Danzig. In 1865 the pearl was sold to the Italian king Victor Emmanuel II. In 1869 the king sold it to a Dutch goldsmith Willem van Kooten, who inserted it into an exquisite basement made of gold and precious stones. The current owner bought the pearl from the family of the goldsmith.

I am just back from the exhibition. The pearl is indeed impressive, although it looks not very pretty to me. But it is of course a wonder of nature...

Olga

[dkan 168]

It looks like a rejected prop from the Alien films!

DK

[pearlescence]

it's that lard again

[MistofCassiopeia]

I really feel for the oyster! lol\

The stand is beautiful though.

[waimeamomi]

I like the stand, I think having that pearl around would make me nervous. It reminds me of Freddy Krueger. I'll take a monster like the Heart of the Lagoon over it any day.

[Caitlin]

It looks like a clam pearl- from a gigas clam, like a smaller Pearl of Allah. It doesn't seem to have any pearlescent luster.

Thanks for the photo; it adds to our pearl studies!

The Pearl of Allah weighs 14 lbs or so, so it has totally eclipses the size of this one.

I am with Wendy, it looks like a lard sculpture!

[strands]

Nice base indeed. I think the Pearl of Allah looks more appealing though.

[CLICLASP]

Thanks a lot for sharing this curiosity with us,
The way it has been set is very interesting,
not all pearls are intended to be worn like adornment, some only intend to be shown as sea wonder...

[J Marcus]

Hmmmmm.......... I won't say what it looks like to me--wonder of nature that it is...... Has the species of mullosc from which it derived been identified?

[Kevin Canning]

what an ugly mass goo - another example of people mistaking rare for beautiful - yuck!