Exceptionally Rare Pearls from ECIJA
At the GJX show, ECIJA (Santa Barbara, California) displayed a variety of natural, wild, nacreous, and non-nacreous pearls, including conch, oyster, scallop, abalone, and quahog pearls. Only 0.2% of all pearls in the current market are natural (S. Karampelas et al., “Raman spectroscopy of natural and cultured pearls and pearl producing mollusc shells,” Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, Vol. 51, No. 9, 2019, pp. 1813–1821), and the authors found the non-nacreous collection especially notable.
ECIJA owner Aylene Norris and her husband, Jeremy Norris (Oasis Pearl), have been sourcing for 34 years and specialize in natural pearls. For the first time in Tucson, ECIJA displayed a collection of round quahog pearls (figure 1). Quahog pearls are produced in the bivalve mollusk Mercenaria mercenaria (figure 1, left), a type of saltwater clam native to the Atlantic Ocean. These non-nacreous pearls consist mainly of fibrous aragonite and organic matter. They are often not perfectly spherical but form irregular shapes such as button or baroque, making this set of round quahog pearls extremely rare (figure 1, right). Moreover, they exhibited an attractive and strong porcelaneous surface with sizes ranging from 5.65 to 12.33 mm in diameter. Quahog pearls are known for their unique range of colors, including white, beige, pink, lavender, purple, brown, and black. These 21 quahog pearls showed a wide color range, from white and beige to deep purple and tan (figure 1, right). According to Jeremy, lilac and deep purple are the most desirable and command the highest price. The color of a quahog pearl is determined by various factors, including the clam species and environmental and geochemical conditions.
Another rarity on display was a large (16.44 ct, 14.50 × 14.36 × 11.95 mm) deep purple, button-shaped non-nacreous pearl showing an obvious flame structure at its surface (figure 2). This pearl formed from one of the many Spondylus species, also known as “thorny” or “spiny” oysters, which are harvested on the western coast of the Americas as Spondylus princeps and Spondylus calcifer/limbatus. Reportedly from calcifer/limbatus from the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, the pearl’s large size, attractive purple color, and strong flame structure set its value. Previously, GIA has reported that flame structure is usually caused by subsurface to surface-reaching acicular inclusions (Fall 2016 Lab Notes, pp 303–304). Although several Spondylus pearls have been reported in G&G (Summer 2016 Micro-World, pp. 202–203; Fall 2016 Lab Notes, pp. 303–304), this is one of the largest and finest examples.
ECIJA also featured other nacreous and non-nacreous pearls for designers and buyers, including conch, scallop, and abalone pearls. Each of these species exhibits unique shapes and colors. Conch pearls are typically oval in shape and exhibit white, beige, brown, yellow, orange, pink, and red colors. They range in size from 1 mm to over 20 mm. Scallop pearls from Nodipecten nodosus, also known as “Lion’s Paw” or “Mano de Leon,” form button, oval, and baroque shapes that range from white and brown to rare purple or maroon colors. These exhibit beautiful reflective mosaic-like patterns on their surface. Abalone typically produce conical or baroque-shaped pearls exhibiting a combination of vibrant colors and a mirror-like luster. Symmetrical abalone pearls, especially in large sizes, are very rare.
While GIA has developed seven value factors to evaluate the quality of nacreous pearls (size, shape, color, luster, surface, nacre, and matching; see J.W.Y. Ho and S.C. Shih, “Pearl classification: The GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors,” Summer 2021 G&G, pp. 135–137 and accompanying wall chart), it is difficult to set the value for non-nacreous pearls due to their rarity and individual characteristics. In addition, demand dictates the value and price of rare pearls. An increasing demand for conch pearls has attracted buyers from all around the world. Jeremy indicated that conch pearls are especially popular in the European, U.S., and Asian markets. Deep pink to red pearls exhibiting a strong flame pattern are the most desirable and have doubled in value over the last 10 years, whereas pastel colors continue to be a more affordable solution for designers and collectors alike.
