natural or wild

smarandakis

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Jan 4, 2026
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hi there! i just found this pesrl today on the beach in the Canary Islands! i don't know anything about pearls but i would love some opinions, mostly if its natural or cultivated ( i assume its natural because i found it next to the ocean) and if it has any value! i will attach some photos bellow! thank you
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This is an interesting situation. Firstly, finding a natural pearl outside of it's parent shell is a near impossibility, no less one in lustrous condition.

That said, I'll never say never.

To correctly identify pearl origin and debunk fakes, I use traditional data and experience to weigh the scenarios which puts an object in it's place.

You object presents as a coin shape, but with an attachment at the outer circumference. The attachment was either broken or cleaved and is not available for examination. There are striations at the level of the cut, possibly indicating tooling.

The greatest red flag is surface condition and cleanliness. Any pearl liberated from it's host would almost immediately start to become weathered in the marine environment. Even the most gentle wave action would certainly cause abrasion between itself and the surround basalt. Cracks or grooves would be filled dirt, algae or other sediments and appear dirty in the fringes.

Again, I'll never say never, but without more analysis there are more cursory points scoring cultural origin than natural, irrespective of how it came to be found. "Seeding" of beaches with colored rocks or other gemstones is not an uncommon practice and plausible in this scenario.

If it is natural it's a really long shot, but could fetch good value if certified as such. That leaves us with the burning question whether it merits a trip to the lab. If it's value you seek, then yes, but expect some sticker shock and prepare for disappointment all the same.

It is possible with bright pinpoint lightning you may be able to candle visualize a flat geometric flat nucleus within the object.
 
Look at the top of the object in each photo. I'm seeing what looks like two similar pieces, not two sides of the same. One has an open (drill?) hole and the other seems to have a cement plug in its hole, as if intended to anchor a pin. Hollowness (soufflé) appears to be a possibility. Curious find!

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Look at the top of the object in each photo. I'm seeing what looks like two similar pieces, not two sides of the same. One has an open (drill?) hole and the other seems to have a cement plug in its hole, as if intended to anchor a pin. Hollowness (soufflé) appears to be a possibility. Curious find!

View attachment 477667
They're the same, but the angle is deceptive. I agree it seems like foreign matter or at least not part of the nuclear material of the piece.

A pendant or bracelet may have been fashioned with this then broke free to become lost on a beach.

Or at least that rationale seems more realistic than this piece being of natural origin. In all honesty, I cannot hang my hat on a single point suggesting it.
 
They're the same, but the angle is deceptive. I agree it seems like foreign matter or at least not part of the nuclear material of the piece.

A pendant or bracelet may have been fashioned with this then broke free to become lost on a beach.

Or at least that rationale seems more realistic than this piece being of natural origin. In all honesty, I cannot hang my hat on a single point suggesting it.
Thank you guys for your help! i am somehow stuck inbetween going to a lab to test it or going to a jeweller and make a nice necklace for myself ☺️
 
Freshwater, the most reasonable explanation for its condition being recent loss by a fellow tourist. But 100% certainty would require lab work. Will make a nice pendant, with a story. Keep the tale as a mystery!
 
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