36 Gram natural baroque south sea pearl, is it worth anything at all ?

[Lananh]

I found this today while scuba diving. Is it worth 2 plane trips to Bangkok to get it appraised ?

I expect it is worthless, but you never know. nobody on the island, population 3,500 has ever seen anything like it.

I can be reached at info@dive-condao.com.

Thanks anybody who can shed some light on it !
Lan

Photos View attachment 45417

 

[Pareltje]

Lananh, that's a nice finding. I hope GemGeek or Caitlin can give her opinion here.

 

[Lananh]

Thanks ! I await the opinion of somebody knowledgeable.

 

[BWeaves]

Looks a bit like marble. Did you find it in a mollusk or just on the sea floor? It does not look like pearl nacre to me. Can you photograph it on a white paper towel in natural light?

 

[Caitlin]

I have never seen anything quite like that. I can't see any nacre- it looks like ceramic. It is shaped like some tridacna clam pearls I have seen with the stem and its rather large size. (Didn't Augustus Pearls have some of these several years ago?)

If you are in or near the Philippines, especially Palawan, ir could be a small tridacna gigas before they get into the multi-pound sizes. Or another smaller tridacna variety, perhaps.

The pearl is worth what you can make out of it or make it into. It doesn't have much intrinsic value, moneywise, but it looks like a little balloon or mushroom. At 36 grams, I personally would put it into a little shadowbox scene that enhances either the mushroom or balloon look. I think it is too large to be comfortable jewelry, but if you make a little diorama for it- it would be a priceless gift- for your mom, maybe.

 

[Lananh]

Found on the sea floor.

Found on the sea floor.

Looks a bit like marble. Did you find it in a mollusk or just on the sea floor? It does not look like pearl nacre to me. Can you photograph it on a white paper towel in natural light?

I will do a better set of photos. thanks very much.

 

[Lananh]

Hello Caitlin;
Thanks for your attention.
It is not ceramic, though I agree it kinda looks like it.
Philippines are 1,200 km away, put it at 500 miles.
Your idea is very nice, I do make wooden jewelry boxes, out of beautiful tropical hardwoods....Sadly I am not an artist, so i have to think up some kind of idea.

 

[Lananh]

i think i have some real info on this pearl.

http://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/fall-2014-gemnews-baroque-tridacna-gigas-pearl.
There is photo and discoloration are similar as are the striations.
It is a non nacreous type of pearl.

 

[GemGeek]

It looks like a tridacna squamosa pearl. You need sharper photos. Getting a better close up will help all of us see what you are looking at. If you are using a cell phone camera, try tapping on the image of the pearl to get it to focus on the pearl, or see if you can find a friend to help you get a better photo.

One thing you can do is darken the room and hold a penlight flashlight over the round part of the pearl and see if you get a round flame pattern to appear. That would be conclusive. Getting a certificate will not necessarily help you to sell the pearl. Value with natural pearls is hard to pinpoint. You have to find someone who wants the pearl and is willing to pay for it. Where the beauty is not traditional and does not lend itself to jewelry, you will have a harder time selling. This pearl has more value as a collector's item.

Try contacting www.thepearlcollector.com to see if the dealer would be willing to buy your pearl.

And congratulations on being so lucky to have found it!

 

[BWeaves]

Learn something new every day. Cool find.