1. How are conch pearls formed?
Conch beads are bred by the gastropod giant phoenix snail, which lives mainly in the warm tropical waters of the Caribbean, and when irritants (usually broken shells) enter the giant phoenix snail, forming calcium concentrations around it. These concentric fibrous crystalline layers accumulate around the stimulus, like kidney stones growing in the human body, forming conch pearls. Due to the delicate spiral structure of the conch shell, no one knows exactly where the conch pearls formed, and they are usually found while cutting the flesh from the shell.
Conch beads in the traditional sense are naturally grown products, and only one conch bead can be obtained in about 50,000 conchs, and even fewer reach gem grade.
Caribbean Waters
Giant phoenix snail
Second, the color of the conch beads
Conch pearls are available in a variety of colors, from white, beige, yellow and brown to gold and many different pinks many, which in the 19th century were often referred to as "pink pearls". The most valuable is pink, with a variety of shapes, from Baroque to round, but rarely perfectly spherical, with perfectly symmetrical ovals being the most ideal, with a wavy "flame" structure on its surface and a creamy porcelain appearance and a silky shimmer. Silky luster is the reflection and refraction caused by calcite microcrystalline fibers in concentric layers.
Delicate conch beads
Conch beads of various colors
Flame striae are clearly visible
3. The past and present life of the conch pearl
Conch pearls were not used in jewelry until the 19th century, when they were known as "pink pearls". In 1901, King George V of the United Kingdom gave Queen Mary a conch pearl brooch, 24.9 carats on the top and 28.1 carats on the bottom. In 1905, Henry Walters, the founder of the Walters Museum of Art in Baltimore, purchased a 23.5-carat pink conch pearl necklace from Tiffany & Co. And, in the 1980s, conch beads attracted widespread attention from designers, and major brands such as mikimoto, harry winston, tiffany & co, boghossian and so on successively launched the conch bead series.
The 23.5 carat conch beads, produced by tiffany, were purchased in 1905 by the founder of the Walls Museum of Art in the United States and stored in the museum
The conch pearl brooch given to Queen Mary by King George of England in the 19th century is 24.9 carats below 28.1 carats
Conch dragonfly brooch designed by Taiwanese designer Cindy Chao
Cartier, conch beads and diamonds, designed in the 20th century, were sold by Sotheby's in Geneva in 2012 for CHF 3.274.500
Mikimoto launched a conch pearl pendant in 2017
A necklace made by Swiss jeweler Boghossian in 2015, set with 33 color-matched conch beads in a teardrop shape of 23.97ct
Conch pearl set
Conch pearl ring
Conch pearl stud earrings
Conch pearl pendant
4. Conch pearl culture
In the past, people have always thought that conch beads are natural, according to records in 2009, Florida Atlantic University successfully cultivated seedless and nucleated conch pearls, which are pearls formed by the stimulation of shells, iron, porcelain and other bead nuclei.
Large hyacinths are no longer a natural patent of the sea, and in the Turks and Caicos Islands, large sea enclosures are used to raise 7 cm conchs until they grow to a market size of 15 cm, and each fence can hold 5,000 conchs.
Fifth, the quality of conch pearls
1. Cause - natural is higher than farming
2. Color - pink has the highest value, the more uniform the color, the higher the bright value
3. Structure - The more obvious the flame-like structure, the higher the value
4. The higher the symmetry --- the shape, the higher the value
5. The larger the size ---, the higher the value
Conch bead ring
Sixth, the beautiful lie of conch pearls
1. Conch pearls are natural and not cultured
In recent years, there have been many conch beads in the market, which invisibly proves that its artificial breeding has been very mature and has entered the market in large quantities.
2. The color of the conch beads is always delicate
The conch pearl, known as the gemstone of the night, can easily fade when exposed to the sun for a long time, and it is clear from the comparison between Cartier and mikimoto above that it is not set in stone, so the buyer needs to keep it properly.
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