Iridescence

[Slraep]

A teeny weeny partially opened clam shell??? Really teeny weeny.

Slraep

 

[jshepherd]

It sure does look like Slraep is right! A clam inside an oyster, inside a pearl?

 

[knotty panda]

I have no clue what it is, but if Slraep is correct ... WOW!

 

[CortezPearls]

Yep! It is a small drill-mussel, genus Lithophaga. They commonly attack the shells of all mollusks, some being more prone to the attack than others.
This particular mussel drilled into a Rainbow-Lipped oyster that had a natural pearl (in the mantle, next to the shell) and continued to drill right into it. What are the possibilities of something like this happening???

Quite a rare find...but that is what I love about being a biologist and being in such direct contact with nature: you are constantly surprized by Life.

 

[GemGeek]

Slraep's name on the pearly gates -- I like it!

 

[jshepherd]

Hold her name to a mirror and it would fit perfectly!

 

[Slraep]

Hold her name to a mirror and it would fit perfectly!

RELAPS??? That's weird.

 

[Slraep]

Can we change my title to "Famous" Pearl Expert now??? Heaven's pearly gates is just another way of saying Pearl-Guide, right??

Slraep

 

[GemGeek]

You go girl!!!

 

[Valeria101]

Something I didn't hope to find: a detailed study of iridescence ... in obsidian. Complete with tantalizing pictures.

Link to paper from CalTech and another LINK for the images .

And another for pearls, although this time not up for grabs.

 

[CortezPearls]

A large (13 mm x 16 mm) baroque shaped Cortez Pearl...superb iridescence and luscious natural colors...

 

[CortezPearls]

Can we change my title to "Famous" Pearl Expert now??? Heaven's pearly gates is just another way of saying Pearl-Guide, right??

Slraep

Dear Slraep,

You are indeed a Famous Pearl Expert IMHO.

 

[Ashley]

Douglas,

What an AMAZING pearl you have there!!!!!!!!!!

The colors are jaw-droppingly beautiful; I really need to get some Sea of Cortez pearls in my collection! Wow!

 

[Perle]

Slraep, that is impressive . . . !

I gotta second Ashley's comments! Douglas, wow, the colors on that pearl . . . and it looks like excellent translucency, too. It would be a shame to drill it, but how to set it?!?

Perle

 

[CortezPearls]

Slraep, that is impressive . . . !

I gotta second Ashley's comments! Douglas, wow, the colors on that pearl . . . and it looks like excellent translucency, too. It would be a shame to drill it, but how to set it?!?

Perle

I don't know...right now it just sits on top of my computer...watching me, drawing me into it...my precious. (Gollum Gollum )

When I saw the photo it kind of reminded me of the "Eye of Sauron" in the Lord of the Rings movies....the colors are like "fiery", yet the blue colors cleanses away all the "evil" of Sauron.

Sorry abou that, I am just being "dumb"...we survived another hurricane ("Henriette") and my stress and adrenaline levels are just starting to go down...I just feel "dumb & tired".

I would have it set on a ring I guess...something like this...but I would not wear it so I think it will stay with us for a while.

 

[pattye]

Oh, Please, not a ring, it would be so vulnerable! It is so magnificent and deserving of adoration.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[CortezPearls]

These pearls are not invulnerable, but not quite vulnerable...they are just like women: sensuos, beautiful, soft exterior...but with a strong will and determination.

You would faint or screech -some customers do- if you saw me smashing a pearl on a wood table (which I do every day, several times a day...the same pearl I might add...for several years).

Just a small "torture test" I have on a pearl's endurance. I am so confident of my pearl's quality that I can do this just like the "Battery Bunny": over and over and over...

 

[Josh]

Doug, that pearl is freakin' amazing.
You're right about pearl's toughness too. Try scratching one pearl with another. It takes considerable strength. But yeah Pattye, rings do get battered that's for sure.

 

[Slraep]

These pearls are not invulnerable, but not quite vulnerable...they are just like women: sensuos, beautiful, soft exterior...but with a strong will and determination.

Okay Douglas, fork over that magnificent pearl. If you don't know what to do with it just send it to me. I know what to do with it. And don't worry, I'll keep on bashing it on a wood table just like home.

In retrospect, why not have made it the prize for whomever correctly guessed what the inclusion in that pearl was?

Slraep

 

[Ashley]

Clever Slraep, very clever...