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Conch Pearls
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  Conch
pearls (pronounced ‘konk’) are natural pearls created
by the Queen Conch, a saltwater univalve mollusk.
These natural pearls are calcareous concretions formed inside the
innards of the giant sea snail, the Strombus Gigas. These
natural pearls are non-nacreous and display a unique “flame
structure”, a radiating pattern of white markings just beneath
a lustrous or porcelain-like surface, exhibiting chatoyancy around
the edges and creating a halo-effect. This
flame-like pattern results from the arrangement of the prismatic crystals
perpendicular to the surface of the pearl. Conch
pearls occur primarily in raspberry red to pink colors and they can
also create whites, purples, browns, yellows, oranges, and golds.
They
are symmetrical in shape with mostly ovals, drops, and baroques, and
occasionally they will create a button or round. Currently
we have conch pearls in sizes from 4mm to 14mm. |
The Strombus
Gigas or the Queen Conch is an edible marine gastropod or snail
found in the tropical waters from Southeastern Florida to the West
Indies and the Caribbean Sea. They
are harvested mainly for their white tasty meat and in the majority
of the countries most of the meat is exported. These
conchs live in shallow warm water near coral reefs where sea grass
and algae are abundant. The
Queen Conch has the largest shell of all the species found in the
Florida/Caribbean area where they can grow up to 7-12 inches high.
The
Queen Conch is not yet an endangered species, but they are subject
to quotas in order to prevent their disappearance.
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