Natural 82.5 carat Abalone Pearl

J

jindianna

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Joined
Mar 20, 2013
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15
Pearl 012.jpgI am new to this and have no idea what to do. But here goes.
I have a natural Abalone Pearl. It was found while preparing a meal after my son's went diving for tea.
It's a light mother of pearl. It weighs 87.5 carats.
Just wondering what would be the best place to find buyers.
As well as any ideas of what it would be worth.
We have been to several jewelers and have been told by all, it's priceless.
Any help would be great. Thanks. :DNew pearl pics 013.jpg
 
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Wow! Lucky you! Amazing story. The best, "I found a pearl in a shell while cooking/eating", yet!!!

That big is very rare and there is not a market, per se. Take a bunch of photos of all angles and post them . We have some abalone pearl professionals on this board. This may take a while to sell. I can't begin to tell you what it is worth, but maybe if a few others join in, we can help find the right venue. Maybe one of the big auction companies, or maybe someone will see it here.
 
One jeweler who we showed it to didnt want to give it back, he just kept showing it to anyone and everyone he could find. lol He believed it is so unique it would be priceless on the Asian market. He did indicate that a 6 figure sum was the minimum. Open to offers. lol
 
Oh this is exactly as it was found. Has not been skinned or polished . Still natural. ( :
 
That is a nice find. I'd suggest reaching out to Jeremy Norris (member here jnorris) to get help determining the real value of the pearl. He will be able to give you a very accurate valuation, especially if you have good, clear photos (the photos in your last post aren't showing for some reason).

They are rare finds, but the priceless and six figure comments from your local jewelers are worlds away from reality, unfortunately. The pearl is definitely valuable but I would caution expectations over four digits in the wholesale market.
 
A fascinating, amazing pearl! If I owned it, I would wear it as a pendant. I would never get tired of looking at it.
 
I'm glad to get any feedback I can. Good to see people are interested in our pearl. Hi Jeremy, yes its interesting to get a wide range of views. Claudias, a well to do jeweler in Sandybay made the start valuation at $100,000.00 while in discussion with an associate over the phone. ( he didnt know I could hear him lol ) The priceless comments were made in relation to getting it seen by Asian collectors or business. It seems Abalone is very important in the Asian culture.
What ever the case we are certainly open to offers and as you say we have no preconcieved expectations.
 
First you need to determine the true value before marketing it, so it needs to be evaluated by someone with a lot of experience with abalone pearls. My company does some business in abalone pearls, which you can see on our site, but my true expertise is in cultured pearls. I do have enough knowledge to know that the $100,000 comment came from someone with no experience in natural abalone valuation, however. Getting even $100 per carat wholesale for an abalone takes a really special pearl in quality, color and/or shape.

I want to mention that I don't have an interest in making an offer, and that I am only really encouraging you to speak to someone who will be able to give you a truly educated valuation and advice.

Try messaging or emailing Jnorris here on this forum or even Kari from KariPearls.com. Kari deals in natural pearls.
 
Ditto on recommending you visit Kari Pearls site, she deals a lot with single abalone specimen pearls and has a lot of knowledge about them. Ditto also on lowering your expectations on the price you could realize on this pearl, beautiful though it is, it will just not bring the price mentioned. There are abalones on the web right now of equal or higher quality and size selling for much less. You might go to Karipearls.com and see if you can email her photos, etc. Good luck, you have a wonderful find!
 
Going to 2nd Jeremy advice, I have a couple abalone pearls that are large, one i think around 70cts and the other is a hundred and something. I definitely didn't pay that much for them. I honestly think the $20-50/ct range is more realistic as a wholesale selling price and that's probably a little on the high side. The factor for me that reduces the value is the lack of colour, the white abalone pearls generally sell for much less than their highly colourful counterparts. However, I think you have potential in the piece.

To me it looks like you could polish off a layer in the first photo of post #9 and reveal a nice colourful layer under that top white one. But don't touch the dark patch at the bottom, that's a separate layer, if you polish that, you'll have to polish off a second layer. My recommendation would be to take it to someone experienced with polishing/peeling abalone pearls, have that layer removed and then try to sell it. I should also mention that I'm not an expert and that this is just my suggestion or what I would do if it was my pearl.
 
I agree with Derek on the cash price range of $20 or lower per carat, since I remembered what the Rankins charge for retail. Personally, I wouldn't touch it. Let the buyer take the risk of peeling it. I love the quiet abalone colors. It reminds me of the shells I have found on the California coast. I love the subtleties of the colors. I know that thing is humongous, but I would wear it if it were mine even if it gets in the way of hugs.... Maybe if you want to sell it as is, just put a removable silver band around it until you do. A drill hole might lower its value for a collector.

As I said before, that is absolutely the best "found a pearl in something I ate" type story we have ever had here. You will never be able to replace it- all you will have is the story and some photos if you get rid of it. What people ask for retail on Abalone shells is often unrealistic. and they don't sell because wholesalers know what they would pay for it and pass

jnorris is my first choice to ask. Wes and Trish Rankin of Pacific coast pearls are the biggest abalone buyers I know of. Kari's site found its purpose when it turned to natural pearls, but I think she might let people set their own prices- at least on some things, because they have been for sale for years. That is a sure sign people think they can do better elsewhere, but it won't hurt to put it up there, after you get a realistic idea of what it will sell for.



Contact - All Natural Pearls.com - A division of Pacific Coast Pearls www.allnaturalpearls.com/contact.htm



All Natural Pearls.com the online location of. Pacific Coast Pearls Petaluma, California, USA. Web Design by. David Rankin ...
 
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The pearl is actually mainly green and pink. The photos dont seem to be showing the real colouring ) : Wil see if I can put up a better pic.. But thanks for the input.
 
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