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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...

I would read that paper, if it even exists. Meaning no disrespect to Laurent, it's an opinion not an established fact. If his lab is interested in investigating this, I will contribute specimens for analysis. I have presented photographic evidence of sand implicated in pearls. Surely you don't...

They sure are! I'm astonished clams don't produce more pearls. I suppose because they live within substrate they're better equipped to deal with mud, sand and gravel. I don't know how many steamers (Venerupis philippinarium) I've eaten in my day, but it's a lot and I've never found a decent...

There remains confusion whether sand is implicated in the formation of natural pearls. For over a century, the myth has been most pearls are formed around grains of sand. This is a myth. It's been reported in more recent times that grains of sand are not implicated in pearl formation. This is...

I disagree. Sand is implicated in natural pearl onset.

These blisters are formed under the adductor of the left valve. They're not rare, in fact quite common across many molluscan species. They are largely idiopathic (unknown cause) however these present along the medial aspect of the muscle scar as opposed to entirely surrounding it, thus ruling...

Jeremy has included an early natural freshwater strand for comparison, which is clearly that. Graded for size (graduation) first, then luster, color and shape by lessening degrees. Each markedly dissimilar at the nuclei. This is what we'd expect from most natural strands, especially ones created...

Commercial or recreational? Licensed by the state Department of Marine Resources? Recreational harvesting may complicate matters. These are natural quahog pearls, hence the species of origin is not in question. However, some value (albeit scientific) is lost when the pearl is removed. I would...

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