Conch beads in recent years in the international auctions have been frequently held by top collectors, constantly setting new price records, what is conch beads, why are they so sought after?
Conch beads are only produced from the only source: the Caribbean Sea, only a kind of conch called queen conch (queen conch) and then produce conch beads, with hundreds of years of capture and mining, the original conch beads in the Caribbean Sea shoals have no output at all, now a little production comes from the deep sea, by diving into the deep sea water can find very few large conch. The proportion of conch beads found in the big phoenix snail is one in 10,000, and the proportion of conch beads that can be used as jewelry is one in 100,000, which shows its extreme rarity.
A few correct understandings about conch beads:
1. Conch beads and pearls have the same composition, the theme is calcium carbonate, but due to the difference in structure (pearls are like brick wall structures and conch beads are fibrous structures), they show different appearance textures. Other natural pearls other than conch beads have long since been mined (and conch beads will be mined in the foreseeable future), and now conch beads are the only natural pearls that are still being produced. Many so-called experts are wrong to say that conch beads are shells rather than pearls, and that conch beads are actually a type of natural pearl.
2. Conch beads can not obtain a large amount of output through breeding, the current culture of pearls and their mother shells are two-piece open structure, and the big phoenix snail is a snail-like single spiral structure is impossible to plant the bead core into the large phoenix snail, so it is impossible to obtain mass culture of sea snail beads by breeding large phoenix snail.
3. The conch beads actually have a higher hardness than the pearl (because of the fibrous structure), so it is actually more wear-resistant and more resistant to acid and alkali corrosion, but the conch bead structure is special, so it must be carried out by a highly experienced craftsman when inlaying or drilling, otherwise it is easy to break. In addition, the color of the conch beads is organically formed, so it is best not to be exposed to the sun for a long time, and it is advisable to put them in a jewelry box for preservation after wearing.
4. The best color in conch beads is pink with a hint of purple, like the best pink diamond color, I turn this color into a gentle sweet and elegant fancy vivid purplish pink, which can only be produced by mature and healthy conch beads. Other colors of conch beads, such as brown, yellow or white, are produced by juvenile or elderly or diseased conch beads, which are far less valuable than this feminine pink.
5. Buy conch beads must be from professional channels, the current market has appeared with the conch shell of the big phoenix conch cut and polished into the beads impersonated as a fake of the conch beads, part of which can even be seen in the local flame pattern structure, this is not a natural conch bead, its structure must be able to see the growth structure of layers of conch, but for non-professional consumers for a great challenge, so do not be greedy, must buy from the formal professional channels.
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