long time no see
long time no see
Hello guys. I've been "away"... I've gone full tilt into a new product line that has blossomed and is taking up 50-60 hrs/wk. HeartString Baby's Companions... steep learning curve! NOTHING having to do with natural pearls, cultured pearl or jewelry design.
Anyway,
Miriam Reed - Apart from polishing it lightly, I left it alone
J Marcus- Indeed. I have gone over 10s of thousands of shells and have never seen a blister that big and/or that blue.
CarolK- The scallop pearls were assembled over a half decade or so. He did get some from other fishermen that knew he was saving them. The mussel pearls probably took 2-3 years and were found while he held a fishing permit to dig mussels on NS shores. Important to note that some of blue mussel pearls are mine. I've assembled them since 1999. His come from the Bay of Fundy. Mine, come from the Atlantic , on the South-Eastern shore of NS.
There are a few mixed species of blue mussel. M. Edulis being the best known and the one farm-grown. M. trossulus is closely related to M. edulis and sometimes mistaken for it. Then there is Modiolus modiolus, commonly known as the "Horse Mussel". These tend to be in deeper waters and shells can wash up to shore. One can even find important "horse mussel reefs".
Pearls, obviously, occur in all species. Colors seem to dependent on where they grow within the shell and on what mussel species. M. modiolus grows larger (up to 9" long), with larger pearls. They tend to be more cream-light purple. The other species (and hybrids) are smaller, but may occasionally yield beautiful, bright blue/navy pearls.
Give me a shout if you have other question or comments.
Pierrette
