Iridescence and chatoyancy in a mabe pearl

[12wentworth]

Hi! My daughter gave me a mabe pearl for Mother's Day. At first I thought it was just a nice pendant until I got a load of the seeming clarity and translucency of the blister pearl. There is no backing to the piece of shell with the mabe but I can make out an area where there is a plug. No bead is visible in the center, so I am assuming a clear filler was used to support a natural blister pearl with thin nacre. It even has a star asterism that floats about, too. Here are some pictures. The inner light of this pearl knocks me out. Is this a usual occurrence in these types of pearls?

 

[CortezPearls]

The Mabe pearl is clearly thin nacred and has a clear issue (I used to call these "tunnels") that will cause issues with this piece...very likely cracking.
It was probably filled with clear epoxy. They should have used a non-translucent white, beige or gray for visual effectiveness.
You have to be careful with it! Avoid hitting it inasmuch as possible!
But it is a good-looking piece: big, bold!