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These score 10:0 cultured v natural. Not one point (even remotely) suggest natural origin.

While I've seen lots of mantles with multiple pearls, they've been within otherwise healthy tissue. I've not seen one with such a gelatinous structure. Multiple pearls very often suggest auto-immunity, but are generally aseptic. This is not that. This mantle is atrophic, likely from a deficency...

Douglas, outstanding! I could go on at length, but I'll save that for a single observation now. The common features being these are interpallial pearls of periostracial onset. The exception being Pearl#1. It's intervestibular of myostracial onset. One is a HUGE difference in every way from...

Though not red abalone, there are a couple of active abalone farms. Eyris Pearls for example. Likewise there are farms where abalone are raised for food. It's also possible to have originated by recreational divers, where trade in parts is not allowed. Thus nearly impossible to determine origin.

It looks like a red abalone pearl, formed within a mantle perforation. It's very typical in this species. Without tangible provenance, it's impossible to determine natural or cultural origin as this phenomenon has been observed and described in either setting.

Not Fijian, nor bead nucleated, sorry to say. These are dyed on the string freshwater pearls.

This is a cool specimen. I've never seen one so clearly defined on two axis. I would speculate the sac was partially prolapsed for two or three growth cycles then because it was slightly oblong, shifted 90 degrees. Perhaps the perforation progressed toward the end or as you've suggested a minor...

All indeed among factors which cause acute partial prolapse and subsequent regeneration of the pearl sac giving rise to a high rate of single circles. Chronic or recurring prolapses may cause multiple circles. In fact, healthy over-growth rates which cause pearls to form too quickly may prolapse...

So very sorry to hear this news. Mikkey was a fine man.

I think this is chemical damage too. Perhaps a combination of chemical and humidity damage. Leather is extremely porous, containing microscopic holes which absorb moisture from the surrounding air, likewise passing moisture to other items during higher humidity. Instead of whiteness from...

The pearls appear to be from the orient while the manufacturing seems East Indian. Japan began producing freshwater pearls in 1935 and peaked in 1971. Triangle mussels were hybridized in the 50's and used by Chinese farmers to fill the gap created by failing ecosystems in Japan. The shape...

I'm impressed you've candled pearls. Imaging is something yet again, not always easy to get right. Actually, no images ought to hone one's descriptive skills. I do a lot of visual work, but at the end of the day anything with scientific importance is noted and merely supported by images or...

The provenance suggests acquisition in the 1920s. Is this documented and verified? I'm struggling to find cultural freshwater pearls here. There are some pieces with a potato-like appearance, but overall not many. Size (nearest to equal) is the prime selection criteria in this piece, where...

The purple color on many of my naturals have faded over the years.

These are certainly pearls stuck to other pearls. Only pearls stuck to the shell are described as mabes and usually exclusive to a cultural setting. Blister pearl is more common in natural settings. Instead these grow along the shell as opposed to to/from it. These were formed in a perforation...

Aside from the nonsense procedures, what's most glaringly obvious with these charlatans is the absence of methodology. These people think you stick something in then walk way for for a year or two, yet selection criteria, donor/recipient segregation, de-spawning and post-op rehab never enter the...

Show us this "amassed" collection and pearls in your lapidary work? So you processed millions of pounds you say? By your own admission, the vessel quota was 166,000 lbs, now 50,000. That means you would have had to process every clam aboard for 30-40 years. How can this be, when the greatest...

Benthic creatures are better equipped to prevent it. How they deal with it after the fact is common in most species. Epifaunal mollusks (like mussels) while buried in substrate have more difficulty tolerating it, especially when cracked or obstructed. Geoducks cannot close entirely, leaving...

Geoducks have much longer life cycles than most molluscs. Up to 100 y as opposed to 3-10 y in most others. Ship/Shore processors find these all the time. Workers set aside an average of 6-12 specimens/m3 discarded shells. Milky, chalky when dried, but most from impacted sand within cracked...

I get that, but my question to you remains unanswered. I've supported my assertion by posting photographic evidence of sand embedded in pearls. I have also stated that I've observed this several times in my work with natural pearls along with an opinion of rate of incidence. I'll ask again...