Bahamian Black Pearl
Here is the story given to us at Conch Pearl Galleries, Marsh Harbour, Abaco on 16th January. A woman brought the pearl in saying it was found at Sandy Point by her daughter who was opening clams. The clam was not a quahog - but we are unsure exactly what it was as the clam was discarded. The daughter said the inside of the clam was black, as was the meat and that it was not pleasant to look at. As a result the daughter called to her mother to come look. The mother said she did not at first see the pearl, but poked at the meat and felt it, then popped it out. She said she thought her daughter may have damaged the surface of the pearl slightly when she opened the clam. The pearl, if it is that, weighs 24.27 cts. It has a high luster and seems to have small conchoidal fractures on the surface that might lead one to think it might be glass. It also has lines where it appears the surface has flowed.
The buzz around town is that the woman has an impeccible reputation for honesty. Although Conch Pearl Galleries has an excellent Graduate Gemologist, G.I.A....even he is unsure and we think it ought to go to the G.I.A. for evaluation. What is your thought? P.S. We have the pearl in our posession. Jo-Ann Bradley