My Latest Expedition

Thank you Dave, for the clarification.
There is a beautiful paradox in this thread:
On one hand, I'm relieved to know that those pearls are indeed natural (in part because they "present" so much like naturals :) ; on the other hand, I'm excited about the possibility of "reasonably priced" cultured pearl that would look just like those naturals ....
Good continuation with your research and innovations !
 
I'm now four days into my expedition of 2014. To safely access the reefs, I need calm seas, big tides and no earthquakes anywhere in the Pacific Rim in the last 18 hours. Most don't cause tsunami threats, but can cause rogue waves. Landing by boat isn't possible because you can't leave it unattended and it's too dark to navigate out once the tide is high. The only way is to hike through a chain of islands, tidal flats, stepping stones and surge channels. I carry five or six kilograms of tools, gloves, sample containers, camera gear, field notes, radio, GPS, smartphone and two plastic buckets. Not to mention boots, floater jacket/trousers, rain gear and signal flares.

I hike back out with an additional 20-30 kg of live shell stock for the lab. Those get placed in trays, stored in the water here, then relayed to Lagoon Island at the end of the expedition.

Amid that effort, I found some pearls.

natural_champagne0.jpg

Some light purples, some rose, several whites

natural_effervescent.jpg

This is a 5.5mm silver gray with an outstanding champagne effervescence to it. I'm sure this one will candle extraordinarily.

natural_champagne.jpg
 
Lagoon Island Pearls said:
I'm now four days into my expedition of 2014. To safely access the reefs, I need calm seas, big tides and no earthquakes anywhere in the Pacific Rim in the last 18 hours. Most don't cause tsunami threats, but can cause rogue waves. Landing by boat isn't possible because you can't leave it unattended and it's too dark to navigate out once the tide is high. The only way is to hike through a chain of islands, tidal flats, stepping stones and surge channels. I carry five or six kilograms of tools, gloves, sample containers, camera gear, field notes, radio, GPS, smartphone and two plastic buckets. Not to mention boots, floater jacket/trousers, rain gear and signal flares.

I hike back out with an additional 20-30 kg of live shell stock for the lab. Those get placed in trays, stored in the water here, then relayed to Lagoon Island at the end of the expedition.

Amid that effort, I found some pearls.

View attachment 27153

Some light purples, some rose, several whites

View attachment 27154

This is a 5.5mm silver gray with an outstanding champagne effervescence to it. I'm sure this one will candle extraordinarily.

View attachment 27152
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Mr Dave the Adventurer, PG:s Indiana Jones ? Hehe, very cool stuff you doing there and thanks for the thread ;)

Do you Think these Pearls have any Money value ? Or are they only for scientific studys ?

I will soon also go on a few diving expeditions around indonesia.
I have recently got info on a few places around some Islands, were there seem to be a pretty big chans to find som Natural Pearls.
Well i just have to go and have a look for myself ;)
 
DaveTT said:
Mr Dave the Adventurer, PG:s Indiana Jones ? Hehe, very cool stuff you doing there and thanks for the thread ;)

Do you Think these Pearls have any Money value ? Or are they only for scientific studys ?

I will soon also go on a few diving expeditions around indonesia.
I have recently got info on a few places around some Islands, were there seem to be a pretty big chans to find som Natural Pearls.
Well i just have to go and have a look for myself ;)
Click to expand...

Some have value. Some more than others. Some not so much.

Preparing and searching is half the fun. It's great to be able to get out and hike, dive or discover new places, especially if you have good information on pearls.

Good luck!
 
Thank you for documenting such a cool expedition, I have learned a lot just from this thread. The pearls are such a treat.

GemGeek said:
I wanted to post some parasite photos, but I restrained myself. ;)
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Me! I want to see some parasite photos!
 
The good, the bad, AND the ugly are all eagerly anticipated on a thread like this one! How cold is it up there now? You once gave us a google earth map?

GG:cool:- what a trippy article! That is a cute fluke! It is cool to think about how parasites have their place, too, in a complex, functioning ecosystem. Too bad we don't do something about all the man made mosquito breeding places- This article reminds me of the interconnected mycelium fungi layer under the ground all over the entire world. Even here in AZ, when it rains, We get from 12- 30 types of mushrooms and fungi popping up from the bare dirt as well as the mulched places and from wet wood..... haha. "I f-ing love science"..... (just quoting the Facebook people by that name) Once again Science demonstrates how we are all connected. <OTS>My current passion is permaculture and working on a food forest on our homestead in this Arizona//Sonora desert ecosystem. I learned about that mycelium layer from a TED talk, but here it is popping up as essential to a good food forest concept. As I said, that was a trippy article..lol.</OTS>.:cool:
 
Caitlin said:
How cold is it up there now?
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It's been really mild and calm. Well above freezing and no winds at all. Usually by this time of year we would have had a couple of hurricanes and a cold snap. A little foggy today, but that won't stop me from taking a short hike to the reefs before dark.
 
This survey didn't fetch many big ones, but nice colors.

natural_day5.jpg

The catch of the day was a sweet 6.7mm root beer colored pearl.

natural_rootbeer.jpg
 
Agree with Pattye! We really appreciate your reports and photos. So glad you are having decent weather!
 
Such lovely pearls Dave! I really enjoy reading about your scientific research and expeditions :cool:
 
They look just like the local blue mussels which we find on the beaches here on the Sussex Coast...but sadly I've never heard of pearls being found..
 
hbyrne said:
They look just like the local blue mussels which we find on the beaches here on the Sussex Coast...but sadly I've never heard of pearls being found..
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California mussels much larger though and they grow on the exposed surf. Blue mussels cannot survive there. As you follow the shoreline inward, the California mussels get smaller and the blue mussels become more prevalent. Once you get into the inlets, California mussels all but disappear while blues grow on pretty much everything just below the surface.

For creatures with many of the same physical attributes, they thrive in entirely different habitats.

Pearls from blue mussels isn't uncommon. They just tend to be tiny.
 
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