GemGeek

This is not a pearl.



The giant clam, Tridacna gigas, is under attack. The rumor mill never rests on the subject of giant clam “pearls”. They are supposed to be worth millions, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Clam pearls, technically calcareous concretions, do exist. Good clam pearls most often come from Tridacna squamosa, the giant fluted clam, although they can be found in Tridacna gigas. The Tridacna squamosa is much smaller than Tridacna gigas, whose enormous shells have been...

Chris Davies is all about style, texture and easy elegance. His signature beaded granulation gives his work a fluid aspect that works especially well with pearls, as you will see in this wonderful example selected for our Pearls of the Week from the Couture Show in Las Vegas.

Purple is definitely the color of majesty.



The fine detail.



The sumptuous full view.



Chris was featured in our Pearl Guide News article on the Couture Show here.

To see more, visit the website...

Their website says it all: Magnificent Pearls - Exquisite Coral. The Assael display at the Couture Show in Las Vegas was a museum-worthy exhibition of the finest examples of gemstones, pearls and ethically-sourced coral.

The people were just as magnificent as the pearls, allowing us to acquire many candid photos to share this year.

Today we start with these intensely green Tahitian pearl and jade earrings. The perfect choice to commemorate an important milestone -- or just because they are...

Golden pearls love sparkling color. Here is proof from Jewelmer for our latest Pearls of the Week. Seen at the 2018 Couture Show in Las Vegas.



www.jewelmer.com

Blaire Beavers
Managing Editor
Pearl Guide News

Marine researcher and pearl farmer Dave LeBlanc recently found a large natural pearl attached to the shell of a mussel.

"Normally blister pearls present as a bump from a drilling predator or a ridge from a fracture, but this pearl spontaneously popped from its sac within the past year and became fixed to the shell.

Although the sac burst because of the sheer size, the pearl didn't re-position itself by the looks of the growth fronts towards the outside of the shell. However, its properties...

Two years ago, designer Hisano Shepherd acquired 1mm faceted lapis lazuli stones, but was waiting on the right pearls and the right settings to create a new line. When she recently found 22K gold granules, she achieved her vision: "I was thinking of the golden specks you see in lapis". Fittingly, 22K gold is a big step up from pyrite!

This also works well with the constellation theme running through her Pearl Geodes -- a sprinkling of tiny pearls among the gems, like stars in the heavens...