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The gem of the Bahamas - the conch (pronounced "conk ") pearl - is a calcareous concretion produced by the Queen conch mollusk "Strombus gigas", and although not truly entitled to be called a pearl as it is nonnacreous, it is accepted as such in the jewelry trade.
The most desirable colour is dark pink and is truly a rare and beautiful gem.
According to the research of Ms. Susan Hendrickson (as noted in an article on the conch pearl in "Gems and Gemology" ) only about one in ten thousand conchs produce a pearl and only about 10% of these pearls can be considered gem quality so their value to the collector is obvious. For example at a sale at Christie's in London in 1987 a 6.41 carat fine dark pink pearl sold for $4,400.
The finest examples show a flame structure known as a "watermark" and the most desirable shape is a deep oval. They are commonly found in a variety of shades of pink but also exist in browns and even white.
Our finest examples are set for us in Switzerland by the house of Frieden in
gold or platinum, using internally flawless diamonds.
  
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Rough diamonds are generally commercial quality uncut diamonds in browns, white or black hues. They are greatly enhanced by adding cut diamonds and/or conch pearls to the settings and are again a product of the house of Frieden.
 
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© Coin of the Realm Ltd., 2002
This Web site was designed in 100% HTML by Robert Henderson, in Nassau, The Bahamas
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