rought pearl identification - wild iris haliotis.

[bigbada]

Hi everyone.

I have been collecting abalone shells from my fishing for years and i wonder if some of them are pearls...
can anyone help me?
They are small but i wonder if they could be of any value?

Thank you for your answers.
​​​​​​​

 

[jshepherd]

They look like blister pearls (attached to the shell). Blisters aren't very valuable. Abalone pearls can be quite valuable if whole and colorful though.

 

[CortezPearls]

Definitively blisters there. If large, shapely and beautiful they can be worth something...but most of these examples are not of this variety except -perhaps- for Collectors.

 

[bigbada]

Thank you so much for your answers!
As i recently started to do jewels out of my shells it will definetly add a great touch to my creations!
Also as i did some more research with this new information, i found out some shell can be worth a few hundred euros

Thanks again for your time!

 

[bigbada]

I have just one last i would like to show. Just to be sure i understand difference between pearl and blister pearl.
This is a tin one but it look to me as a pearl and not a blister.

 

[CortezPearls]

This one I believe is a "chicot" or natural pearl blister pearl (yes, sounds confusing): a natural mantle pearl that becomes attached to the shell and thus becomes a special blister pearl.
You can actually detach these sometimes...I wrote some detailed entries about Mabe and Blister pearls: II. History of Blister Pearls - Pearl-Guide.com
I am sure you will understand the differences when you read that article

And yes, sometime the shells themselves may be worth quite a bit, especially if they are large, colorful and in good condition.

 

[bigbada]

thank you i understand a bit better now ... there is just one thing i don't understand :
i thought unlike oyster pearl, abalone pearl could only be found on the shell as the abalone is haemophiliac mollusk. so isn't abalone pearl all chicots?
if not, how do they look like on the shell then?

 

[CortezPearls]

The one on the last photo you provided is a chicot. The other ones were true blisters.
Blisters are formed when a drilling organism drills the shell, and the mollusk covers it with pearl ON THE SHELL.
Chicots are formed within the mollusk's mantle (due to a parasitic attack or other means) but the mantle -remember- is growing the shell, so they are in extremely close/intimate contact...the pearl sac may burst and release the pearl or the pearl grows and slowly becomes embedded into the shell.

Look at this Abalone pearl: it was never attached to the shell, so it is not a chicot nor a blister. It is an abalone pearl.

 

[bigbada]

thank you!
it is now crystal clear

 

[CortezPearls]

Happy to be of service!
This is one of my Abalone shells, with a small blister in it.

 

[CathyKeshi]

I bought some small abalone shells from the cultured abalone farmer in CA; he had a small stand way out at the end of the old fishing pier. We spent a lot of time learning how to try abalone, which we'd never had before, and in the end W bought a few small live abalone, and I got my shells for just a few dollars. Bigger, brighter shells went up in price to maybe $10. US each. I liked the colors and orient on the smaller, W liked the price better, and the owner was politely, highly amused that my countless questions all revolved around nacre, parasites, shells and ... pearls LOL. EVERY single shell, small or large, had lots of chicot/blister pearls inside, including the few Walter later opened on the beach. I was really surprised by how many blisters were in each; neither of us liked raw abalone

 

[CortezPearls]

I remember back in 2001 I had the chance to eat my first live "baby abalone" (they measured about 1 inch) in Hong Kong. I used an interesting "spoon" to detach them from their shells, some prepared soy sauce and gulped them like raw oysters. Quite tasty! Found them even better than just having the large foot of the adults! But they are certainly not to everyone's liking of course (and I won't be having any now, for sure as a vegetarian).

 

[bigbada]

Beautiful shell! i would love to fish one of those giant species.
My old and wise iris haliotis from the north sea look tiny compare to a red abalone
i would imagine the value for shells, blisters and pearls depend on the species? Or is the size only important?

Love your story Cathy! My friends and family are a bit amused by all those shells i collect, to the point my niece nicknamed me the magpie. I cannot stand all this mother of pearl going to waste So i started to make jewels out of them. Same for me lots of my shells have blisters, i thought wild ones would have more then farmed ones... as they are exposed to harder living conditions. i used to work only the smallest shells (the minimum is 9 cm to fish in the North sea) as i found there colors more subtil and the snail is well preserved on the shell. I also make pendants out of the big ones as the mother of pearl is extremely thick and heavy.

i never heard about raw abalone before!! ) but i remember as a child eating raw "Patella intermedia" (i am unsure for english translation it is called a "chinese hat" here) it would look like a baby abalone maybe.

 

[bigbada]

Beautiful shell! i would love to fish one of those giant species.
My old and wise iris haliotis from the north sea look tiny compare to a red abalone
i would imagine the value for shells, blisters and pearls depend on the species? Or is the size only important?

Love your story Cathy! My friends and family are a bit amused by all those shells i collect, to the point my niece nicknamed me the magpie. I cannot stand all this mother of pearl going to waste So i started to make jewels out of them. Same for me lots of my shells have blisters, i thought wild ones would have more then farmed ones... as they are exposed to harder living conditions. i used to work only the smallest shells (the minimum is 9 cm to fish in the North sea) as i found there colors more subtil and the snail is well preserved on the shell. I also make pendants out of the big ones as the mother of pearl is extremely thick and heavy.

i never heard about raw abalone before!! ) but i remember as a child eating raw "Patella intermedia" (i am unsure for english translation it is called a "chinese hat" here) it would look like a baby abalone maybe.

 

[CortezPearls]

That is one nice pendant
Abalone shells are just splendid. Love these creatures and their pearls.

 

[CathyKeshi]

Ooh, that's a beautiful necklace, and shell! The ones I bought, and ones we opened, were gorgeous on the inside, but rough and plain on the outside ... nothing like yours Is it polished on the outside?

 

[SurfnSci]

Gorgeous, and so unique!!!