eBay find

[dmj]

thanks all

its verry hard making something thats wearable from these pearls looking forward to see caitlins pearl end up in something

 

[Caitlin]

View attachment 17008View attachment 17005View attachment 17006Daniel- Antz! Absolutely faboo-u-lous!!!


It has arrived. My camera is charging- I don't have a cellphone camera, though that seems to be the way to go!!!
It is large- but really, not too large. The color is nice, but not extreme. I think it looks like a footprint in the sand. I am thinking a drill hole across the back where it lumps out. The bottom edge is sharp. The whole piece has a slightly spoon-like curve.

This guy has more of them. I am in email contact. He actually has a uncle who is collecting them as we speak- he says from Baja. I am asking him for more photos though I don't know what to do if I find something else I like- maybe sell this one for my cost...which was slightly less than $6 a carat! I honestly would like one that is slightly smaller.

I think this guy could single handedly drive down the price of abalone pearls, if he keeps selling at these rates! This piece should go to someone who has skills and equipment to do it justice, or I might saw it in half to get the size I want!

 

[pattye]

Woo Hoo, it's a beauty!!!!!

I would probably have it wrapped in a silver bezel, somewhat irregular, with a large bail at the small end. At the bottom where the dark places are, have some silver waves or something. No diamonds, please, but perhaps a few small colored gems.

 

[Amanda]

It looks exactly like a foot! And it's gorgeous. Nice one, Caitlin.

 

[Caitlin]

Yes. My photos are better! Maybe I learned something. I took them in several different places outside. I am trying to show how colorful it is.

 

[Caitlin]

Since I always was a dancer, even through my 50's, maybe it is my signature piece... I can't do anything with it except get a hole drilled in it. Alas. Though I love the ideas here. Maybe someone has less expensive suggestions, or ones I can do myself. I was thinking- maybe it could be a sandal or a flipflop.

I like the idea of embedding a gem into the funky part. Too bad I am not Daniel!

 

[Marianne]

Caitlin, that is a treasure! Please don't hack it up.... just love it

 

[Caitlin]

I doubt I will do that, though I thought about it. It is just larger than I like to wear.

 

[Nora]

Caitlin, that is a treasure! Please don't hack it up.... just love it

I agree with Marianne. Sell it, and buy a smaller one that will suit you better.

 

[GemGeek]

I love your pics Caitlin. Remarkable how foot-like it is!

 

[CowPrincess]

Caitlin that is a glorious pearl! I'm addicted to silver bracelets, and can visualize that somehow mounted on a wide silver bangle-bracelet. It is lovely, I'm so happy for you

 

[antz]

 

[lisa c]

What a gorgeous blue. It looks like a dancer's foot, with a high arch.

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Antz!
If I had it to do over, I should have gone with one of yours. I saw one I liked, but it was much smaller for the same price. But it is wearable on my scale.

Now theoretically speaking....we have carved amber, we have carved turquoise or carved any kind of stone. We have carved shell, including abalone shell. Why are pearls an exception? Well we have carved pearls too. Galatea and the traditional Tahitian carving I know of so far.

Why not just file some of the gunky stuff down or carve it into two off round circles? Why not. It only loses value if people don't like the finished form. I'd like to see a photo of Dave's "polished" abalone piece. I am sure it is the wave of the future.

The guy who sold me this one sent me photos of a 91 carat piece shaped like a whale. It is incredible. I don't want to post any more pix, because he FYI, but I will when I can. So far, he does not know anything about me or that I post here.

 

[pearlescence]

Hi caitlin,
now I've seen the pix - stunning pearl. How about making it into a brooch by setting a bar at the back? Like I did with some of the lamb cutlets? I've got to make some more but thse might give you some idea
http://www.pearlescence.co.uk/index.php/cPath/192_155

 

[Amanda]

that's gorgeous, Wendy. Is it a freshwater pearl? Nucleated? Looks more like a geologer's tool than a lamb cutlet, to me, though!

 

[Caitlin]

Nice pearl! That's a great idea.

Just use some kind of glue. What kind?

 

[GemGeek]

Caitlin, you can't assume that the pearl is solid. Abalone pearls can have hollow areas inside, especially the large ones. If you file off an area, you may get a hole that will reduce durability -- or not -- it's a big risk. But if you did, you might be able to fill the hole with resin. Hmmm...

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Why not just file some of the gunky stuff down or carve it

Those were my thoughts on first impression. It could be trimmed quite nicely, then polished down to a rounded or possibly even squared edge. The entire piece is highly nacreous, so there would be little or no sign of prismatic shell at the edges and likely no need to disguise the edge in a bezel.

Two circles might take away from the piece though (both value and appearance), I'd keep it entire.

 

[dmj]

for what i know there are a lot of hollow spaces in ab pearls so i would get an x ray before i do anything with them i had a amazing pearl and when i set some prongs on it in gold i pressed right true it because it was a hollow one or partly hollow also when i see them still on a shell 9 out of 10 are hollow so i really don't think ab pearls are the right ones to get cut

i wanted to get a pearl facetted some years back and because of this reason i never got it to the cutter