PTERIA PENGUIN - Philippines Palawan

[CLICLASP]

Hello,
I recently bought a "pearl in a shell" of Pteria Penguin claiming to be from Philippines.
It looks like a blister put on the shell to get a mabe from, if someone can confirm my idea...
As it shines so wonderfully, I would like to know more about these beauties:
- are they cultivated,
- are they available on the market,
- who sell them,
- what are the current specifications : average sizes, shapes, colors, keshis and so...
I am most grateful in advance for all replies you will get.
Best regards

 

[Zeide Erskine]

Hi,

Pteria penguin (in Japanese mab?-gai) is typically used to culture half pearls with. Most of these only have a thin nacre layer that is cut off the shell, filled with epoxy glue and backed with mother of pearl. Pteria penguins come in a large variety of colors, most of them stunningly beautiful. Keshis can be grown in them, but the growing time to get big ones (6 years) is generally not economical. Under the thread Overtone vs. Orient there should soon be some good pictures of p.p. keshis. Big white ones.

Zeide

 

[davide jagger]

please help me ?

please help me ?

please anyone out there could you let me know , where i could find osmina pearl cabochions (grey/blue) only .
i would like to buy in quantity from a factory .
there was an american company getting them and put them in there catalog but they stopped carrying them and i would like to buy from the source they were buying from . the question is who is the factory making them .
please help.
i believe the factory is in the philippines

 

[Caitlin]

Osmena or Osmina pearls are made from trhe inner chamber of Nautilus shells.

 

[CortezPearls]

Hello,
I recently bought a "pearl in a shell" of Pteria Penguin claiming to be from Philippines.
It looks like a blister put on the shell to get a mabe from, if someone can confirm my idea...
As it shines so wonderfully, I would like to know more about these beauties:
- are they cultivated,
- are they available on the market,
- who sell them,
- what are the current specifications : average sizes, shapes, colors, keshis and so...
I am most grateful in advance for all replies you will get.
Best regards

I ve seen those shells for sale at the Tucson Gem Show, as well as in specialized sea-shell stores (last one I remember in Cozumel). Unfourtunately I don't have any more information regarding sources. Our Pteria sterna shells (polished) with blisters look very much like yours, but we don't produce this item anymore (to costly to produce).

The biggest Pteria penguin shell (I collect shells of all pearl bearing species) I have been able to obtain measures some 15 cm (height)(including a large portion of periostracum) but most of the ones I've seen for sale measure between 7 and 8 cm (height).