Conch Pearl advice appreciated!

S

SarahLadd

Member
Joined
May 28, 2017
Messages
7
Hello everyone,

To start, I'm a goldsmith! I recently came back from a trip to North Caicos island in the Turks and Caicos island chain. I met a fellow who gave me a 4 ct pink conch pearl to make a mounting for, and I'm not sure where to start. Every bit of information I've managed to find on mounting them suggests that it devalues the pearl to drill or glue into mountings, but almost every mounting I've seen has them drilled into settings! Drilling gives a much greater range of designs to work with, can hide blemishes, and shows off much more of the pearl. Mounting into wraps and prongs would cover much of the pearl to keep it secure- godforbid you'd want to lose it- but in addition to covering up the beauty of the gem, you also have the added risk of causing rubbing to the surface with the metal touching the surface to hold it in place. I visited with another jeweler friend of mine in Minneapolis, who suggested that drilling the top with the small cream blemish would potentially increase the value of the pearl, because a carefully constructed cap bail would cover the blemish, making it appear more "perfect" all the way around. I'm so conflicted! I have a graduate gemologist that I work with who is going to try and evaluate the pearl for value, so that I can have a reasonable price tag for it when I try to sell the piece I make.

Advice appreciated! IMG_4538.jpg
 
That is a valuable pearl. Someone just gave it to you as a gift? :)
 
GemGeek said:
That is a valuable pearl. Someone just gave it to you as a gift? :)
Click to expand...

I'd say it was "lent", more than "given". The kind gentleman I met has a friend who works at the conch farm on Providenciales, and he purchases these from him for a couple hundred dollars each. He had a small pile of them and sent me back with one, asking that I make a mount for it and hopefully find a buyer. We both do not know how much this pearl is worth!
 
GemGeek, I am reading this that someone gave him this pearl so that he could design a special mounting for it. As far as drilling, that will most definitely impact the value...but adding a gold or platinum mounting, especially if it includes other stones, will add value so there's a balance there. That said, I've not heard that glue can devalue a pearl...but I don't work with conch pearls so maybe they are more delicate and prone to chemical damage? I would think that a glue and prong setting would be the answer if you didn't want to drill it. You also might think about a custom cage style mounting which leaves the pearl unset, but encased so that it can be worn. In any regard, the color is lovely and please share what you decide to do!
 
The flame pattern is gorgeous!

What about some sort of cage?
(Ah, JP beat me to this suggestion! :D)
 
I have two rudimentary drawings, I would like to put some more thought into this but these are my ideas so far.

20170523_154815.jpg
 
I have handled quite a few mounted conch pearls. Many are drilled or partially drilled. Have seen standard necklaces of drilled pearls too. Just look at some of the auction catalogues for examples. So drilling is not "bad" if the client is happy to proceed and I don't think they are structurally likely to suffer, but like all drilling it has to be done with care! Melo pearls on the other hand are never drilled. It is bad luck, so I have been told, to drill them, hence any you see mounted are never drilled. Not the ones I have seen anyway!
 
SarahLadd, your conch pearl is stunning!! It has lovely color and a striking flame pattern. I like the idea of a cage, although I am not aware if there might be any potential for harm due to possible rubbing against the metal that may occur. That said, I also like your drawing, especially the sketch directly above the pearl on the left. The front and back drawings show a very elegant and simple design. Please keep us updated on your progress!
 
Thank you all for the compliments and advice. I am going to draw up a few more ideas before I decide on a design, I welcome any input on drafts I come up with. I rather like the designs Mikimoto has for their conch pearl necklaces, but his are all mounted by drilling, so I hope I can achieve a similar effect without drilling. I'm disinclined to drill as it's not a pearl I technically own, and not drilling would give the buyer the opportunity to easily re mount it if they would desire to do so in the future so there is that plus.

As an aside, what would be the easiest way to find a buyer for such a piece? Pearls are not very prized in South Dakota, much less a conch pearl, which are pretty unusual and rare. I'm uncertain I could find a buyer locally. If this is an unacceptable question to ask here, let me know.
 
I'd rather keep this stunning conch pearl intact. I'd put it in a cage or use claws setting. I'm thinking about the kima (tridacna) pearl ring that a member posted here on this forum.
 
PDs, that piece was the ray of sunshine I needed to see on this dreary day!!! That is gorgeous.

Sarah, Etsy is a great place...there is also Amazon Handmade, and Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, etc. Lots of ways to find buyers...getting them to purchase is the challenge, of course.
 
MSC said:
I think this is the thread Pareltje was thinking of.
I think it would look great in a claw setting esp if the setting is set with melee diamonds...
Click to expand...

Thank you dear MSC for the link.... glad you helped me find it.
 
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