Melo melo?

vroom · Nov 16, 2012

Hello,

I am a geologist and for the last ten years or so have been messing in gemology and thus pearls.

OK I have a gem problem and a pearl problem - I can stare at gems and pearls for hours and hours and - oh well never mind I think the denizens of this forum might understand - if the items mentioned are reflected on the skin well oh never mind.

I've been collecting from all sorts of sources and I live in a very weird place. Have all sorts of stuff including pearls.

Anyway I found this object recently from a thrift store. Obviously I think it is a melo melo so do the geologists that work for me and the local jewelers tell me I am not insane.

So I found this forum and would like opinions.

thanks

jshepherd · Nov 16, 2012

Can you shine a pointed light through it (especially around the edges) to discern more flame? It definitely looks like it could be.

vroom · Nov 16, 2012

jshepherd said:
Can you shine a pointed light through it (especially around the edges) to discern more flame? It definitely looks like it could be.

I do not have a directed light source available till next week and a photo would be difficult. In front of a bright light it is translucent on the edges. I'll attach more images.

As an aside I live in one of the most unusual places in the world and a melo melo in a thrift shop should not be considered an impossibility.

Lagoon Island Pearls · Nov 16, 2012

At first glance, melo melo seems like a reasonable assumption as well.

jshepherd · Nov 16, 2012

vroom said:
View attachment 19496 View attachment 19493 View attachment 19495 View attachment 19494 View attachment 19497

I do not have a directed light source available till next week and a photo would be difficult. In front of a bright light it is translucent on the edges. I'll attach more images.

As an aside I live in one of the most unusual places in the world and a melo melo in a thrift shop should not be considered an impossibility.

That would definitely have to be one of the keys to make it plausible. With a directed light source you might be able to catch the flame on the sizes that have sort of a tight zipper appearance (sorry, can't think of a better analogy at the moment).

Lagoon Island Pearls · Nov 16, 2012

Queen conch crossed my mind too, but they tend to be pink or coral color with pastel undertones. The tangerine color of this pearl is very typical of melo melo.

It looks quite big (how many mm btw?), making it a terrific find, especially from a thrift store.

AMc · Nov 16, 2012

If it is (and it sure looks like it) you lucky dog you! What gorgeous color!!

vroom · Nov 16, 2012

107 carats

107 carats

Lagoon Island Pearls said:
Queen conch crossed my mind too, but they tend to be pink or coral color with pastel undertones. The tangerine color of this pearl is very typical of melo melo.

It looks quite big (how many mm btw?), making it a terrific find, especially from a thrift store.

107 carats

29 x 23 mm

Everyone at the high end jewelry store I took it to just stood there staring for about two minutes. Whatever it is its beautiful they said.

Caitlin · Nov 16, 2012

That is a one in a million find! What a lovely one, too!

vroom · Nov 16, 2012

sadley

sadley

Caitlin said:
That is a one in a million find! What a lovely one, too!

In this weird place I live and work - sadly I have found a few - one in a million ugly things - also.

Sigh

One supposes it balances out.

Not

lisa c · Nov 16, 2012

Hi, welcome - all you need is a flashlight, darkness, i think a cotton ball and a camera. If you go up to the search bar and type in 'candling', you'll get a better idea of what I'm trying to say

is it possible for a melo to be this large??? :-o Awesome, if so.

vroom · Nov 17, 2012

Candling?

Candling?

lisa c said:
Hi, welcome - all you need is a tiny led flashlight, darkness, i think a cotton ball and a camera. If you go up to the search bar and type in 'candling', you'll get a better idea of what I'm trying to say

is it possible for a melo to be this large??? :-o Awesome, if so.

Well I'll give it a try - just sort of thought candling would not show much if anything on a melo melo as the flame pattern is a reflected image or so I thought from reading.

At 107 carats while this would be a large melo melo (if it is) it would not be outrageously so. The largest I found in a bit of due diligence on the web was 397.52 c. Christie's auctioned a 224 carat melo in 2010 (?). One can find 40-90 carat melo melos available at various sites without to much trouble.

Flame patterns seem to vary (from my research) all the way from absent to a rather extremely defined pattern. If this is a melo I estimate the pattern is about in the middle as for intensity.

Sutrisno · Nov 17, 2012

There might be bigger, but i think you would be hard pressed to find prettier. A truly amazing piece!

lisa c · Nov 17, 2012

Thanks for the info! What did the Candling posts do for you? I'm trying to think of where else to send you; Steve has photographed Nautilus pearls, and he owns some melo, and has photographed them. Maybe if you private message him? He's 'Smetzler'. At least he could tell you for sure how powerful his light source for candling was.

I was describing his set up for you, except I don't remember the candle power. Good luck!

maybe do an advanced search, for posts of Smetzler, melo melo and candling together?

vroom · Nov 17, 2012

translucent

translucent

lisa c said:
Thanks for the info! What did the Candling posts do for you? I'm trying to think of where else to send you; Steve has photographed Nautilus pearls, and he owns some melo, and has photographed them. Maybe if you private message him? He's 'Smetzler'. At least he could tell you for sure how powerful his light source for candling was.

i was describing his set up for you, except I don't remember the candle power. Good luck!

maybe do an advanced search, for posts of Smetzler, melo melo and candling together?

I'll certainly do so. Though I've tried to read every post on melo melo as well as maybe a hundred articles on the web - one tries to do due diligence before taking up folks time.

It was ohdarkthirty when I read the candling post and did not wish to root about for my camera maybe wake the family. But the pearl was out and a light was handy.

The object is translucent with sort of a non-descript dark cloud inside. The darkness of the cloud depends on the orientation of the object.

I want to thank everyone for their comments and the kindness.

lisa c · Nov 17, 2012

Well, gee, we get really excited when folks like you share with us! This is a passion for us, to one degree or another!

Holy cow, I forgot the older, Related Threads listed at the bottom section of the page! Probably you've already noticed them. I started to read through some of Smetzlers posts... I should probably just head for his Nautilus thread for the light set up...

Stay with us, ok? I bet you beat me to the answer!

vroom · Nov 17, 2012

lisa c said:
Well, gee, we get really excited when folks like you share with us! This is a passion for us, to one degree or another!

Holy cow, I forgot the older, Related Threads listed at the bottom section of the page! Probably you've already noticed them. I started to read through some of Smetzlers posts... I should probably just head for his Nautilus thread for the light set up...I believe it's somewhere around the middle part of the thread...

Stay with us, ok? I bet you beat me to the answer!

Oh I'm not going - what a resource this forum is! like I stated at the start of this thread I've been mucking about gemology and pearls for at least ten years - not much of a leap from geology. In fact my prior research is what lead me to grab this object up as soon as I saw it. One remembered a flame pearl if nothing else.

And well yes I did review all the postings under melo melo after all one would not want to take folks time and expertise for granted.

I expect I will have to send this object to GIA for authentication. Unfortunately their pearl lab is in NY and last I checked the phones were still not working. I would hesitate to send it at this point.

pattye · Nov 17, 2012

Amazing beauty and sizeable also! Truly a thrill to see and wishing you the best in getting it certified.

lisa c · Nov 17, 2012

I'm glad you'll stick with us!

The Nautilus pearl thread was started by effisk, and is a sticky. I was cruising through the threads when I got timed out. I started at post 41...I'll go back and forth from there, for the photo set up.

Of course, though, lab cert is the ultimate follow-through

. I'm just hoping for more pics from you! Greedy me.

vroom · Nov 17, 2012

lisa c said:
I'm glad you'll stick with us!

The Nautilus pearl thread was started by effisk, and is a sticky. I was cruising through the threads when I got timed out. I started at post 41...I'll go back and forth from there, for the photo set up.

Of course, though, lab cert is the ultimate follow-through . I'm just hoping for more pics from you! Greedy me.

Hope I do not confuse with images already posted.