GIA 17.54 ct. Natural Pink Conch Pearl
GIA Report # 6197401905
17.54 carats!
A conch is a medium to large-sized marine gastropod from the Strombidae family, known as the Strombus Gigas, or Queen Conch.
Queen Conchs are found off the coast of the Bahamas, Florida Keys, Caribbean Islands and Bermuda where they're harvested for their delicious meat. Popular conch dishes include conch fritters, conch salad and conch chowder.
Very rarely, a natural pearl will be found inside a conch shell.
1 out of every 10,000 to 15,000 conchs will produce a pearl.
1 out of every 100,000 to 150,000 conchs will produce a gem quality conch pearl.
These natural conch pearls are produced when an irritant, such as a parasite, enters the mollusk. As a defense mechanism, the conch will coat the irritant with a calcium carbonate, over time producing a porcelain-like pearl.
It's unusual for a conch to exceed 3mm in diameter. Conch pearls over 10mm are considered exceptionally rare!
This natural conch pearl measures 14.78 x 14.06 x 10.48mm and weighs 17.54 carats!
GIA states the pearl's soft pink color is natural, and is not a result of treatment of any kind. The finest conch pearls possess a characteristic known as flame structure that appears as a fire burning on the pearl's surface. This flame-like or silk-like appearance is due to a phenomena known as chatoyancy. This conch pearl displays a silk-like flame structure across the majority of the pearl's surface.
The pearl will be accompanied by its corresponding GIA Pearl Identification Report.
Please Note: The pearl has several natural blemishes/areas of discoloration. These blemishes can be polished out, however, I've chosen to sell the pearl in its natural state. That way, the collector can make the decision to have it polished.