Fossil Pearls??????????

[The Big Star]

 

[pattye]

Soooo, what's the story on these??????

 

[Slraep]

It just looks like some type of calcite formation. A lot of things in mollusc fossils can look like it was a pearl. Even if it is a fossil pearl(very, very doubtful in this case), it is no longer technically a pearl. After a mollusc dies and depending on its final resting place, nature immediately starts recycling it into something different through things like moisture, mineral infiltration, temperature, pressure...etc, even though it may appear "preserved".

Slraep

 

[Valeria101]

I have never seen a section thought a fossil pearl. Have seen lots of mineral formations layered like this though, some occurring loose of substrate are even called 'cave pearls' (run a search - there is a thread with pictures on the forum). Such things can also be found encased in calcite layers and the structure remains through subsequent transformations of the rock...

Aragonite and agate are other easy possibilities for layered nodules similar to the pictures. Such Chalcedony Formations (similar occur in quite a few places) are pretty well known...

This is just saying that there are alternatives to what a tightly layered, round pebble can be; this is all that the pictures show. Fossil pearls have been found and somewhere out there there are folks who can formally identify them. 'Bet you know this as well as I.

Where have these been found? What does the entire object look like?

Whatever these are, you are sure not the first to see the connection with pearls! Funny enough, it seems that for a long time such crystal forms were believed to be the universal blueprint for nacre. Good data has turned that simple story into something allot more interesting...


PS: if you liked POA, you're gonna love THIS !

 

[CLICLASP]

Hello,
If you are looking for fossil pearls, there were some exhibited at the Pearl exhibition in Paris in 2007.
I made a special page about the expo
http://www.cliclasp.com/priv-pages/pearl_exhibition_paris_2007.html

Enjoy

 

[KAC]

wow, those aren't the prettiest things in the world are they! I can't say what the original pictures are in this thread any other pictures besides the close ups?

 

[The Big Star]

Pearls From Other Formations

Pearls From Other Formations

PEARLS FROM OTHER FORMATIONS
​

LEFT: Two small pearls (4-5 mm) from the base of the Lincoln Limestone Member of the Greenhorn Limestone Formation (Upper Cenomanian) in Russell County, Kansas.

RIGHT: A cross section of the larger pearl shown at left showing. the concentric layers.


http://www.oceansofkansas.com/FieldGuide5.html

 

[pattye]

Interesting! Makes me want to run my finger over to feel that texture-----

 

[Caitlin]

We had a guy over here that had some (he said) iridescent round objects he said were fossilized pearls. Then he said the layer they were found in was at the time of Noah's ark about 5,000 years old. He wanted to send them to the GIA to confirm them as fossilized pearls. Never heard what happened. I have the pix in an email somewhere if anyone wants me to dig them out.

Found it. More marbles......
[FONT=&quot]> I also found a page that has fossil pearls from Dallas county TX.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]> http://graphiccrafts.com/pearls.htm[/FONT][FONT=&quot] (link didn't work today)
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]>[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]> The AMNH has several at the bottom of this link:[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]> http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/pearls/marine/fossil.html[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]>[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]> Lastly Here is the Field Museum's take on fossil pearls.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]> http://www.fieldmuseum.org/pearls/gallery1.html[/FONT]

 

[laurenb]

Was the Dallas fossil like the link on the bottom here? http://www.blackriverfossils.org/Fossils/Misc/FossilPearl/tabid/53/pt/2/Filter/131n288/Default.aspx

 

[The Big Star]

Dear Sir or Madam,

My family have this stone. We thing it might be the fossil of pearl. It's big 4-6 kilogram, i think.
1. It's from Limestone hills.
2. It was the area of Ocean bottom and Island.
3. That area, someone was found the fossil before.
4. It was in the Permian Period.
5. It similar like the fossil pearl from KS, USA. [http://www.oceansofkansas.com/FieldGuide5.html] *PEARLS FROM OTHER FORMATIONS
6.It have the concentric layers.

From those pictures, the fossil pearl is big range 1 to 2 inch.. Have you ever seen the fossil pearl [from Permain] like this before?


Sincerely,
Kate

 

[Caitlin]

Hi Kate! Where was this found? in The US or Persia or where?

 

[The Big Star]

Hi Kate! Where was this found? in The US or Persia or where?

Hi Caitlin,

I think, Southeast Asia. Someone gave my dad that stone, long time ago.

 

[Caitlin]

4-6 kilos? That is almost the weight of the pearl of Allah, I don't see how a 1-2 inch pearl could weight so much, so I am confused. Also I am wondering if those are pearls from Permian pearl oysters, or if they are another kind of concretion.

This is a cool mystery;it would be fun to solve it.

 

[The Big Star]

http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/pearls/marine/fossil.html

Fossil Pearls

The oldest known fossil pearls date from 230-210 million years ago, although mollusks have undoubtedly been producing pearls since they first appeared about 530 million years ago. Always rare, fossil pearls are almost always associated with marine bivalves, although ancient freshwater mollusks also produced pearls. During a pearl's fossilization, the aragonite (the mineral that makes up most of the pearl) is replaced by calcite or another mineral, but in cross-section the fossils show the same concentric layering as in modern pearls. Occasionally the original aragonite is preserved with its nacreous luster.

 

[juliebeth]

bumping, in case anyone else wondered about fossilized pearls. lots of good links/info above. also from our own karipearls http://www.karipearls.com/fossil-pearl.html. love this topic!

 

[juliebeth]

a few up to date links:

AMNH Link updated (now a past exhibition!)

also, oooooh!

an excellent (but .pdf) paper on fossil pearls from Imperial Pearl.