[Slraep]

Originally Posted by jshepherd

The nacre deposition is faster/better than other shells.

Why? What is faster and better about their maximas? Is water temp at an unfluctuating optimal level in Paspaley's corner of the world? 4-5mm of nacre deposition in two years is interesting.

Slraep

[jshepherd]

It varies per individual shell, but the size of the shell (P. max is the largest) combined with the warm water temperatures and the extraordinarily high nutrient content of the water leads to rapid nacre deposition.

[Slraep]

Hmmm...well, Burma, The Philippines and Indonesia have no lack of big monster maximas as well as warm waters and ample food. I'm not quite sure they can get 4-5mm nacre deposition in two years out of them, though. I find it odd.

At 23mm, that would mean 6mm of nacre deposition? Wow. Maybe, just maybe, they are experimenting with big composite MOP nuclei?? When a cultured pearl had reached the 18mm size, at the time, everyone thought that was going to be IT. Now we have up to 23mm. I am sure they are trying to surpass that, so trying hard to insert even bigger monster nuclei(composites) into even bigger monster molluscs(steroids?) doesn't seem so far fetched. Paspaley leaving the pearl to culture longer than two years DOES seem far fetched.

If a mollusc can live with an ultimate 23mm pearl inside it, it can certainly live with a 21mm nucleus inside it. Personally, I think this is crazy, but they will do it(have done it).

Slraep

[jshepherd]

I am not certain what their largest size is, but I do know they were pretty amazed by the 19mm bead.

Burma did produce some very large goldens at one time. They were once considered the producers of the world's most valuable cultured pearls until they decided to nationalize foriegn pearl company investment.

I wonder what the monster looked like that produced this beauty!



This is a Tahitian pearl of course.

[Slraep]

Holy Moly! Forget about the pearl. That's the kind of mollusc an old time natural pearl diver would get his arm or leg caught in and drown(just kidding, well kind of...). Great pic Jeremy!

Slraep

[Slraep]

Here's a P.maxima. I dunno, I wouldn't want to shove big round things into his gonad. He's TOO CUTE. Just paint some eyes on him.

[Valeria101]

Originally Posted by Slraep

Here's a P.maxima. ...TOO CUTE. Just paint some eyes on him.

Paint? Well... the real ones are quite enough - i.e. the beady things on the mantle edge (Oops for the wrong bivalve species, Google can only do so much).

Cute?

[effisk]

Originally Posted by Slraep

He's TOO CUTE. Just paint some eyes on him.

..............

[Slraep]

Heheheheh, that's hilarious! Nice to hear from you again, Effisk!!
Are you still living near "you know who's" castle???

Mr. P. maxima looks like he's ready for trick or treating!

Slraep

[GemGeek]

The evil mollusk is now my screen background. Muah hah ha!

[Josh]

Oh no. Step away from Pearl-Guide for a couple days and look what happens: thread deterioration. A "Bad Boy" oyster is spawned. Haha! I love it.

Effisk, Tahitian pearls don't get "processed" in Tahiti. Processed to us means altered. Altered by radiation, dye, bleach and bunch of scary chemicals that should have nothing to do with our natural gems from the sea. Tahitian pearls get tumbled but that is the extent of it. Tumbling removes a crumby organic layer that sticks to the pearl when it comes out of the water. Tumbling does not influence nacre thickness a measurable amount. Thinly nacred pearls are the result of poor growth that results from either insufficient time in the water or from oysters that have been in long enough but were inhibited from eating properly by fouling.

The MOP nuclei we use mostly come from P. Maxima though the smallest sizes (2.0, 2.1bu) come sometimes from P. Margaritifera. As I said on my website, this kind of nucleus material showed in independent tests to produce three times more A (AAA) grade pearls than the freshwater mussel varieties. I also run a company that imports these from Asia and sells to other Tahitian companies.

The solar panels we use are specially made for the marine environment. I don't know who makes them but we buy them from a local company called "Solare Energy"

Slraep, I hadn't heard about 21mm nucs either. When we seed 18mm (not exactly everyday) nucs we often have to break the hinge of the oyster to get it in. This is of course risky for the survival of the oyster, but usually the only way to get them to open wide enough.

I hadn't heard about glued beads either. It was my understanding that glueing made for bogus beads but maybe the technology has gotten better since that info.

4 to 5mm has got to very common in P. Maximas. Here in one year's growth we sometimes get "Super Oysters" capable of producing over 4mms. They are rare but pop up with decent regularity, if that makes sense.

[Slraep]

Originally Posted by Josh

Slraep, I hadn't heard about 21mm nucs either. When we seed 18mm (not exactly everyday) nucs we often have to break the hinge of the oyster to get it in. This is of course risky for the survival of the oyster, but usually the only way to get them to open wide enough.

I hadn't heard about glued beads either. It was my understanding that glueing made for bogus beads but maybe the technology has gotten better since that info.

4 to 5mm has got to very common in P. Maximas. Here in one year's growth we sometimes get "Super Oysters" capable of producing over 4mms. They are rare but pop up with decent regularity, if that makes sense.

Geez Josh, braking the hinge! Really, that's muscling a mussel(I mean oyster). I don't think I wanted to know about that. Just like people don't want to know about composite nuclei. They use an organic protein based glue to hold the halves together so I have no idea if anything would show in an X-ray as to it not being whole.

Stuffing mini golfballs into gonads, breaking hinges---what else must I mentally block out?? Ohmmm.

4mm-5mm of nacre deposit on a 10mm pearl might be easier for an oyster, but covering 22mm is more surface area. Quite a feat. Super oyster for sure.

Slreap

[Josh]

That's right muscling or musseling pearls from selfish shellfish. The increased surface area between a 10 and 20mm pearl doesn't really factor into the oyster's growth capacity as the nacre secreting cells divide and multiply at the beginning of the pearls growth.

[Slraep]

Originally Posted by Josh

The increased surface area between a 10 and 20mm pearl doesn't really factor into the oyster's growth capacity as the nacre secreting cells divide and multiply at the beginning of the pearls growth.

Can you elaborate a bit more on this? Thanks. I'm not getting it.

Slraep

[Josh]

Haha, you're making fun of me again.