Recent content by SamPearl

This weekend I got out clamming for the first time this year, and I was very lucky to find my second ever quahog pearl on the trip! Sadly, the shell was not visibly warped on the outside (as many pearl-bearing quahogs are) so I boiled the clam, which caused a slight hairline crack to form on its...

3mm is quite good for blue mussel pearls! I've been collecting for many years, and only have perhaps 20-30 over 3mm with my largest being about 5x4mm. As for what to do with them, that's really up to you, but I personally keep mine in a small, clear plastic box with a magnifying glass in the...

Whoa, those are gorgeous, parfaitelumiere. I'll have to try to find some of those myself when I'm in France this summer! I love that creamy purple color!

Thanks, amti! I have been collecting since I was about 10-12 years old, so about 13-15 years now. I used to use blue mussels for bait to lure in crabs to catch at the beach, and one day it occurred to me that if pearl oysters and freshwater mussels could produce pearls, why not a blue mussel...

Thanks, Marianne!

I was wondering if anyone here might know a reason why blue mussels in certain locations would have drastically higher incidences of pearls than in other populations. I have found that at a particular beach nearly every blue mussel I gather will contain at least one small pearl (with some being...