Origin of Name :-
The Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl that has achieved
international fame as the world's largest and roundest melo-melo pearl,
is believed to have been part of the collection of Bao Dai, the last
emperor of Vietnam, who like his predecessors was an ardent admirer and
collector of melo-melo pearls, in keeping with age old tradition of
reverence for these natural "fireballs" of nature, believed to be a
symbol of perfection in Buddhist thought and was considered as one of
the eight precious emblems of the Buddha, and as such became an object
of veneration by Buddhists. Melo Melo pearls eventually became a symbol
of sovereignty, and was highly valued by emperors who sent their ships
in search of these rare beauties, in the waters of the Halong Bay and
the South China Sea. Being sacred objects melo-melo pearls
were never drilled or strung as beads, but preserved and treated with
respect, as objects of devotion. Thus the pearl gets its name from the
name of the emperor to whose sacred collection it is believed to have
belonged.
The name "Sunrise Pearl" was given to the pearl, by
its new owner, after it changed hands in the late 1990s. It is not
difficult to comprehend why the pearl was named "Sunrise Pearl" given
the fiery intense orange or reddish-orange color of the pearl,
reminiscent of the colors of the rising (or setting) sun, the pearl
itself resembling the ball of fire, popping up above the horizon at
sunrise, or about to disappear below the horizon at the time of sunset
in the evening. The pearl with a diameter of 37.97 x 37.58 mm and a
weight of 397.52 carats has gone down on record as the largest and
roundest melo-melo pearl in the world.
The Bao Dai Sunrise Pearl- The world's largest and roundest Melo Melo Pearl
Photo above, courtsey Mr Ray Chen
Characteristics of
the pearl
Can the Bao
Dai/Sunrise Pearl be considered as a perfectly round or spherical pearl
?
The Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl considered as the largest
and roundest pearl in the world, has been compared in size to a
ping-pong ball or a golf ball. The longest and shortest diameter of the
pearl are 37.97 mm and 37.58 mm respectively. Using these two diameters
we can calculate whether the pearl qualifies to be characterized as a
perfectly round or spherical pearl. The definition of a perfectly round
pearl is a pearl having the same diameter all round when measured with a
vernier calipers or has a variation in diameter of less than 2% between
its shortest and longest diameters. The variation in diameter can be
calculated using the formula :-
(1 - shortest diameter/longest diameter)
x 100.
= (1-37.58/37.97) x 100
= (1-0.99) x 100
= 0.01 x 100
= 1%
The variation in diameter of the pearl is 1%. Thus
according to the definition, the pearl having a variation of less than
2%, is still considered as a perfectly round pearl. Therefore, the Bao
Dai/Sunrise Pearl qualifies to be characterized as a perfectly round or
spherical pearl.
Another way of looking at this problem is by
calculating the roundness of the pearl. The ratio shortest
diameter/longest diameter x 100 is known as the roundness of the pearl.
A perfectly round or spherical pearl is defined as a pearl having a
roundness of 98% to 100%.
Roundness of pearl = shortest diam./longest diam. x
100%
= 37.58/37.97 x 100%
= 0.99 x 100%
= 99%
Therefore the roundness of the pearl is 99%, which
falls within the range of 98% to 100% for perfectly round pearls. Thus,
the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl having a roundness of 99% qualifies to be
characterized as a perfectly round or spherical pearl.
The weight of the Bao
Dai/Sunrise pearl compared with the weight of famous single pearls
The weight of the pearl is 397.52 carats, which
converted to grains, the usual units in which the weight of pearls are
expressed is equal to 397.52 x 4 grains = 1,590 grains. This is an
enormous weight when compared to the weights of some well known single
pearls both nacreous and non-nacreous.
Table of famous single
pearls, summarizing their properties, origin, shape, dimensions and
weight
| S/N |
Name of Pearl |
Type of Pearl |
Source of Pearl |
Shape of Pearl |
Dimensions |
Weight in carats and grains |
| 1 |
Abernethy pearl |
White, freshwater, nacreous, mussel pearl |
frehwater mussel |
Spherical |
12.5 mm |
11 carats
44 grains |
| 2 |
Arco-Valley pearl |
White, saltwater, nacreous, oyster pearl |
Pinctada maxima |
Baroque |
79 x 41 x 34 mm |
575 carats,
2,300 grains |
| 3 |
Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl |
Intense orange, saltwater, non-nacreous,
melo-melo pearl |
Melo melo gastropod sea-snail |
Perfectly round or spherical |
37.97 x 37.58 mm |
397.52 carats.
1,590 grains |
| 4 |
Big Pink
Pearl |
Pink, saltwater, nacreous, abalone pearl |
Abalone snail, Haliotis corrugata |
Baroque |
|
470 carats,
1,880 grains |
| 5 |
Black Beauty |
Black, saltwater, nacreous,
oyster pearl |
Pinctada margaritifera |
Spherical |
10.05 x 8.75 mm |
6.53 carats,
26.12 grains |
| 6 |
Christopher Walling Abalone
Pearl |
Saltwater, nacreous, abalone pearl with a mixture
of green, blue,
orange, pink and silver colors |
Abalone snail, Haliotis corrugata |
Horn shaped |
84 x 40 mm |
187.50 carats,
750 grains |
| 7 |
Drexel Pearl |
Black, saltwater, nacreous, Tahitian,
oyster pearl |
Pinctada margaritifera |
Symmetrical drop-shaped |
29 x 13.65 x 12.20 mm |
33.8 carats,
135.2 grains |
| 8 |
Golash Quahog pearl - Pearl of Venus |
Purple, saltwater, non-nacreous, quahog pearl |
Saltwater, quahog clam, Mercenaria mercenaria |
Button shaped |
14 mm |
13.5 carats,
54 grains |
| 9 |
Hope Pearl |
White, saltwater, nacreous, oyster pearl |
Pinctada radiata |
Baroque |
length 50.8 mm, circumference 114 mm and 82.6
mm |
450 carats,
1,800 grains |
| 10 |
Imperial Hong Kong Pearl |
White, saltwater, nacreous, oyster pearl |
Pinctada maxima |
Baroque, irregular-drop |
39 x 26 mm |
127.5 carats,
510 grains |
| 11 |
La Pelegrina |
White, saltwater, nacreous, oyster pearl |
Pinctada imbricata (Atlantic oyster) |
Pear-shaped |
|
33.29 carats,
133.16 grains |
| 12 |
La Peregrina |
White, saltwater, nacreous, oyster pearl |
Pinctada imbricata (Atlantic oyster) |
Pear-shaped |
|
55.95 carats,
223.8 grains |
| 13 |
La Regente |
White, saltwater, nacreous, oyster pearl |
Pinctada radiata |
Pear-shaped |
|
75.67 carats,
302.68 grains |
| 14 |
Palawan Princess |
White, saltwater, non-nacreous, porcellaneous,
giant clam pearl |
Tridacna gigas (giant clam) |
Baroque shaped (resemblance to the human
brain) |
Length 15.2 cm (152 mm) |
2.27 kg or 2,270g or 11,350 carats,
45,400 grains |
| 15 |
Paspaley Drop-Shaped Pearls |
White, saltwater, nacreous, South-Sea Pearls |
Pinctada maxima |
Pear-shaped |
19.19 x 12.26 mm, 19.62 x 11.22 mm |
18.75 carats,
75 grains 18.75 carats, 75 grains |
| 16 |
Paspaley Pearl |
White, saltwater, nacreous, cultured,
South-Sea Pearl |
Pinctada maxima |
Perfectly round |
20.40 mm |
60.94 carat,
243.76 grains |
| 17 |
Pearl of Allah |
White, saltwater, non-nacreous, porcellaneous,
giant clam pearl |
Tridacna gigas (giant clam) |
Baroque |
length 24 cm (240 mm) |
6 kg or 6,000g or30,000 carats,
120,000 carats |
| 18 |
Pearl of Asia |
White, saltwater, nacreous, oyster pearl |
Pinctada radiata |
Baroque, garden egg shaped |
76 x 50 x 28 mm |
600 carats,
2400 grains |
| 19 |
Pearl of Kuwait |
White, saltwater, nacreous, oyster pearl |
Pinctada radiata |
Asymmetrical drop-shaped |
41.28 x 19.05 mm |
64.35 carats,
257.40 grains |
| 20 |
Queen Pearl/Patterson Pearl |
White, freshwater, nacreous, mussel pearl |
Freshwater mussel |
Baroque |
|
23.25 carats,
93 grains |
| 21 |
Survival Pearl |
Lavendar pink, freshwater, nacreous, mussel
pearl |
Freshwater mussel |
Baroque (snail-shaped) |
30.5 x 25.2 x 17.15 mm |
90.35 carats,
361.40 grains |
| 22 |
Susan Hendrickson Conch Pearls |
Deep-pink, saltwater, non-nacreous, conch
pearl |
Strombus gigas - gastropod sea-snail |
Oval shaped |
|
22.4 carats,
89.6 grains. 17.19 carats, 71.6 grains |
The Bao Dai/Sunrise
Pearl is not only the world's largest and roundest melo-melo pearl, but
also the world's largest and most perfectly round pearl out of all
nacreous and non-nacreous pearls
In the above table, there are only seven pearls with
a weight of over 1,000 grains. These pearls are :- The Arco-Valley Pearl
(2,300 grains), Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl (1,590 grains), Big Pink Pearl
(1,880 grains), Hope Pearl (1,800 grains), Palawan Princess (45,400
grains), Pearl of Allah (120,000 grains), and Pearl of Asia (2,400
grains).
Out of the seven the largest is the Pearl of Allah
(120,000 grains) and smallest the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl (1,590 grains).
The Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl is the seventh largest pearl in the above
list.
Out of these, two of the pearls are the world's first
and second largest non-nacreous pearls, the Pearl of Allah (120,000
grains) and the Palawan Princess (45,400 grains), that originated from
the giant clam, Tridacna gigas.
The Big Pink Pearl (1,880 grains) is the world's
largest abalone pearl.
There are three nacreous oyster pearls in the list :-
The Arco-Valley Pearl (2,300 grains) Hope Pearl (1,800 grains) and Pearl
of Asia (2,400 grains). All three pearls are baroque pearls. Thus the
world's largest nacreous oyster pearl is the Pearl of Asia. The world's
largest nacreous baroque pearl is also the Pearl of Asia.
The world's largest melo-melo pearl is the Bao
Dai/Sunrise Pearl (1,590 grains). It is not only the largest but also
the roundest melo-melo pearl in the world. Besides this, the Bao
Dai/Sunrise Pearl also acquires the rare distinction as the largest and
most perfectly round or spherical pearl out of all non-nacreous and
nacreous pearls in the world.
The Color of the
Pearl
The color of the pearl is an intense orange or
reddish-orange, one of the most sought-after colors in melo-melo pearls.
Three of the most basic colors in melo-melo pearls are yellow, orange
and brown. In practice we come across different shades of these
three colors, or a mixture of two of these colors. Light, medium and
dark orange and light. medium and dark yellowish-orange are the most
sought after colors. The pigments or biochromes associated with these
colors are secreted by special secretory cells in the mantle of the Melo
melo sea-snail and incorporated into the conchiolin layers of the
non-nacreous pearl. The body color of melo-melo pearls, like that of the
external shell of the snail, is caused by true pigments or biochromes.
Some pigments that cause colors in shells and their pearls are black
melanins, green porphyrins, orange carotenoids, and blue and red
indigoids. Thus the orange color of melo-melo pearls may perhaps be
associated with orange caroteoids. The pigments that impart color to
melo-melo pearls, however are not stable, and are slowly altered by
ultra-violet light, the color fading gradually after prolonged exposure.
The Luster of the
Pearl
The pearl is a non-nacreous pearl, in which the
pearl-forming substance is made up of calcite and conchiolin. Calcite
micro-crystals are needle-like and form bundles of fibers. The calcite
fibers cannot scatter light like hexagonal aragonite platelets, and
therefore cannot cause iridescence. Thus, the pearl forming substance in
non-nacreous pearls, lack the iridescence and luster of nacreous pearls.
Yet, the calcite containing pearl-forming substance has a luster of its
own, like the luster of porcelain, known as a porcellaneous luster.
The "Flame Structure"
of the Pearl
The arrangement and alignment of bundles of
micro-crystalline fibers, causes a type of chatoyancy, known as "flame
structure," which is a unique flame-like shimmering effect on the
surface of the pearl. This is an optical effect caused by the
interaction of light rays with the micro-crystalline fibers on the
surface of the pearl. Sometimes, the chatoyancy produces a mottling
effect on the surface of the pearl, commonly seen in yellow melo-melo
pearls. The "flame structure" more than compensates for the lack of
luster and iridescence of these pearls, and sometimes even surpasses the
beauty of nacreous pearls.
Why the Bao
Dai/Sunrise Pearl deserves to be included in the list of famous pearls
of the world ?
The Bao Dai/Sunrise pearl undoubtedly qualifies
to be included in the list of famous pearls in the world, due to the
following reasons :-
1) The historic provenance of the pearl, believed to
have belonged to the sacred collection of melo-melo pearls of the last
emperor of Vietnam Bao Dai.
2) The enormous size of the pearl, with a diameter of
37.97/37.58 mm and weight of 397.52 carats.
3) The pearl earning the twin distinction as the
largest and roundest melo-melo pearl in the world, as well as the
largest perfectly spherical pearl in the world out of all nacreous and
non-nacreous pearls.
4) The intense-orange color and spectacular "flame
structure" of the pearl.
5) The extreme rarity of the pearl.
6) The time taken for the formation of the pearl,
perhaps extending to several decades.
7) The natural provenance of the pearl
History of the Pearl
The source of the
pearl
The source of the pearl is the Melo melo sea-snail,
that was once found in abundance in the Ha Long Bay known as the "Bay of
Dragons," in the northeastern coast of Vietnam. Previously, the
sea-snails were found even in the shallow waters of the bay, but today
they are found only in deeper waters at depths of 20-30 meters,
sometimes extending to depths of over 50-70 meters in the South China
Sea. Some of the snail-rich areas in Vietnam today, are the area around
the Bach Long Vi Islands in the Ha Long Bay, the Spartly and Paracel
Islands in the South China Sea, and the Phu Quoc Island near the
Cambodian border. Melo melo sea-snail are mainly found in the sandy and
muddy bottoms of the algae-rich infra-littoral sub-zone and the
animal-dominated circa-littoral sub-zone of the sub-littoral zone.
The historic
circumstances under which the last emperor of Vietnam came to own a
collection of melo-melo pearls
The melo-melo pearls and the sea-snail known as the
bailer-volute had been known and appreciated by the people of Southeast
Asia, since very ancient times. The large, round, intense-orange, fiery
pearls of the sea-snails had captured the imagination of the people of
these ancient civilizations, who were amazed by the beauty and perfection of
these marvels of nature, that they associated supernatural beliefs with
these pearls, which were believed to have originated from drops of water
falling on the ocean, from the dragons in the heavens, that entered the
snails and grew into pearls, nourished by the moonlight. Thus, the
dragon and the flaming melo-melo pearl became a common motif of the
decorative arts of the Chinese and Vietnamese, used in paintings,
textiles and ceramics. The dragon symbolized the emperor, who was
pursuing the pearl, the symbol of perfection in Buddhist thought, the
goal of every emperor. The naturally beautiful melo-melo pearls, that
did not require man's intervention to bring out its beauty like other
gemstones, became a symbol of perfection in Buddhist thought, and one of
the eight sacred emblems of the Buddha. Thus the shell of the bailer
volute and the fiery pearl became objects of veneration by Buddhists.
The pearls were not drilled or strung as beads due to the sanctity
associated with them, and were preserved as objects of devotion. The
emperors of Vietnam attached a special significance to these pearls,
which became not only objects of veneration, but symbols of sovereignty.
They valued the pearls so highly, that they sent their ships and sailors
in search of these pearls in the Ha Long Bay and the South China Sea.
These were the historic circumstances under which the last emperor of
Vietnam came to own a sacred collection of melo-melo pearls, some
inherited and some acquired during his period of rule, out of which, the
Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl is the largest and most perfect melo-melo pearl.
Some aspects of
history relevant to Bao Dai's rule as the last emperor of Vietnam -
1926-1945
Bao Dai was the last emperor of Vietnam of the Nguyen
dynasty, who ruled from 1926 to 1945. He was actually the king of Annam,
which was part of French Indochina, and received the protection of the
French. Bao Dai, who was a minor at the time he succeeded his father in
1926, ascended the throne in 1932 at the age of 19 years. The
French-educated, young king ruled his kingdom peacefully with the help of
the French, until 1940, when Japan invaded Indochina, with the outbreak
of World War II. The Japanese did not interfere with the court at Hue,
the seat of government of Annam, and maintained Bao Dai as king, through
whom they ruled the region. In 1945, the Japanese forced Bao Dai to
declare his kingdom independent from France, and renamed his country
"Vietnam." In August 1945, when Japan surrendered after the bombing of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Ho Chi Minh persuaded Bao Dai to abdicate on
August 25, 1945, and handover power to the Vietminh, led by him. Bao Dai
was appointed as "supreme advisor" to the Government of the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam based in Hanoi, which declared itself an independent
republic on September 2, 1945. Ex-colonial power France, ironically the
pioneer of the republican model of government in the world, ousted the
one-year old, fledgling republican government of Ho Chi Minh in November
1946, re-colonizing the country again and de-stabilizing the entire
Indochina region, setting the stage for the bloodshed and enormous human
suffering that followed, that ended only three decades later after the
defeat of the United States and its lackey, the South
Vietnamese regime, by the Ho Chi Minh's
Vietcong in 1975.
Bao Dai- Last Emperor of Vietnam
The re-installation
of Bao Dai as Head-of-State by the French in 1949, and his second
abdication after Ngo Din Diem installed himself as president following a
fraudulent referendum
With the French re-colonization, Vietnam descended
into a state of chaos and anarchy, with Ho Chi Minh's forces entering
the jungles and adopting guerilla tactics against the French occupying
forces. In the uncertain conditions in his country Bao Dai left Vietnam,
and sought asylum in Hong Kong and later China, where he lived until
1949. The French consolidating their hold on the country, invited Bao
Dai back to Vietnam, to takeover as Head-of-State, which he did in 1949.
The victory of communism in China in 1949, gave fresh hopes to Ho Chi
Minh in Vietnam, who too was a committed socialist. China and Russia
recognized Ho Chi Minh's government in Vietnam in early 1950, which was
followed immediately by the United States extending diplomatic
recognition to Bao Dai's government, supported by the French. With the
outbreak of the Korean war in June 1950, in which the United States was
one the belligerents, trying to prevent the supposed expansion of
communism, the French were considered as allies in this common effort,
and granted active support including military aid, to further their war
efforts in Indochina. The French however learnt a bitter lesson in 1954,
with their disastrous defeat, at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, by Ho Chi
Minh's forces. The 1954 peace treaty that was signed by the French and
the Viet Minh in Geneva, that came to be known as the "Geneva Accord"
saw the division of Vietnam into Northern Vietnam ruled by the Viet
Minh and Southern Vietnam, ruled by Bao Dai's government. Vietnam, Laos
and Cambodia were granted independence, and the French disengaged
themselves completely from Indochina. Feeling insecure about staying in Vietnam, Bao Dai moved to Paris,
but continued to remain as Head-of-State of South Vietnam. He then took
the most unwise step in his life, by appointing the Roman Catholic
nationalist and anti-communist, Ngo Din Diem as prime minister, in a predominantly Buddhist
country. Din Diem as prime minister called for a referendum to abolish Bao Dai's rule and establish a republic, with him as president. With an
overwhelming victory at the referendum believed to be a fraudulent
exercise, Din Diem became the president of South Vietnam in 1955. Bao Dai once
again abdicated, and remained in exile for the rest of his life in
Paris.
Bao Dai's life in
exile in Paris, from where he watched with anguish the suffering of his
people, who had become the unintentional victims of the international
power-play of politics
While in exile in Paris, Bao Dai followed the
dramatic developments in his country with anguish, that led to the long
fratricidal war between the North and the South, the intervention of the
United States on behalf of the unpopular and repressive military regime
in the South in 1965, and the relentless bombing campaign of North
Vietnam, aimed at forcing the North Vietnamese to cease its support for
the National Liberation Front (NLF) of South Vietnam. The
sustained aerial bombing, that literally deluged the entire area of
North Vietnam, with over millions of tons of missiles, rockets and
bombs, caused unprecedented human suffering to the people of the North,
but achieved nothing militarily. It only prolonged the suffering of the
Vietnamese people, and prevented an early resolution of the conflict.
The situation prompted Bao Dai as the ex-monarch of Vietnam, to make a
public appeal from exile to the Vietnamese people for national
reconciliation. He said, "The time has come to put an end to the
fratricidal war and to recover at last peace and accord". Following
this appeal the Government of North Vietnam sent representatives to
Paris, to appraise the ex-monarch of the ground situation in Vietnam,
and to explore the possibility of his joining a coalition government,
that might reunite Vietnam. Soon after these contacts with the communist
North Vietnamese Government, Bao Dai spoke out publicly against the
presence of American troops in South Vietnam, and severely criticized
Nguyen Van Thieu's regime in South Vietnam.
The signing of the Paris
Peace Accords on January 27, 1973, for ending the war and restoring
peace in Vietnam, gave the ex-monarch a lot of mental relief, as the
prospect of the prolonged suffering of his people coming to an end
seemed to be real. The accord marked the end of direct U.S. involvement
in the Vietnam war, the declaration of a ceasefire across North and
South Vietnam, the release of US prisoners-of-war, the guaranteeing of
the territorial integrity of Vietnam, setting a 60-day time period for
the total withdrawal of US troops, and a call for national elections to
be held in the North and South. The signing of the Paris Peace Accords,
the overwhelming anti-war feelings that spread across the United States,
and the cutting of funds by the Congress for the war effort in Vietnam,
sealed the fate of the South Vietnamese regime, who were left alone to
defend themselves. Although, initially the South Vietnamese forces went
on the offensive aided by the massive shipments of arms received just
before the ceasefire came into effect, eventually the better-trained and
motivated Vietcong forces prevailed. The human cost of the meaningless
military conflict in Indochina that brought enormous suffering to the
people of the region, who were unintentional victims of the
international power-play of politics, were two million civilian deaths,
out of which an estimated 52,000 to 182,000 were caused by
indiscriminate American bombing; 1.1 million North Vietnamese soldiers
dead and 600,000 wounded; 200,000 to 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers
dead; 58,236 American soldiers dead, 153,452 wounded, and 1,740
missing-in-action.
His role as Head of
the Nguyen Dynasty after the war, and his death in 1997 at the age of 84
years
After the war ended Bao Dai and the other members of
the former imperial family of Vietnam continued to live in Paris. The
ex-monarch was still respected by his people, and particularly by
Vietnamese of the Diaspora, who considered him as a father-figure, and
spiritual head of their community. In 1982, Bao Dai, his wife Vinh Thuy
and the other members of the former imperial family of Vietnam, visited
the United States. They were invited by the Vietnamese American
community living in California and Texas, and during his visit he
attended several Buddhist and Caodaiist religious ceremonies blessing
the assembled congregation. Emperor Bao Dai died in a military hospital
in Paris, in 1997 at the age of 84 years, and was interred in the
Cimetière de Passy. He was succeeded by his eldest son Crown Prince Bao
Long, as the head of the Nguyen Dynasty.
The Grave Yard of Bao Dai in Paris, France
How Bao Dai's
collection of melo-melo pearls came into the limelight ?
A collection of 23
deep-orange melo-melo pearls appear in New York in 1993
Melo-Melo pearls well-known and appreciated in
Southeast Asia since ancient times, was unknown in the West until
recently. In fact the most authoritative compendium on pearls written by
George Frederick Kunz and published in 1909, has no reference at all to
these rare natural beauties of Southeast Asia, originating from a large
gastropod sea-snail known as the Melo melo sea-snail. These natural
pearls of the orient, of extraordinary size, much-desired spherical
shape, and a glowing and shimmering orange color, was thrust into the
spotlight in the west in 1993, when a collection of 23 deep-orange
melo-melo pearls suddenly made their appearance, at a jewelers shop in
New York, owned by the gem-dealer and writer Benjamin Zucker. The pearls
were brought in by a Swiss dealer for assessment and evaluation by
Zucker, and were left with him for further intensive studies. Zucker got
in touch with gemologist Kenneth Scarratt of GIA, an authority on pearls
and author of the book "Pearl and the Dragon" who identified the unknown
pearls immediately as melo-melo pearls of Vietnamese origin.
Benjamin Zucker's
exploratory trip to Vietnam and subsequent publication of an article on
melo-melo pearls in the July 1997 issue of the Smithsonian Magazine. The
photographs of melo-melo pearls that accompanied this publication are
believed to be from Bao Dai's collection
His interest kindled, Zucker put together a small
team of gemologists, scholars and writers, to visit Vietnam on an
exploratory trip, to document all available facts about these pearls,
such as identifying the mollusk in which it is produced, the habitat and
distribution of the mollusk in the Vietnamese waters, the history of
usage and appreciation of these pearls in Vietnam and identifying and
interviewing dealers, who deal with these rare pearls in Vietnam. The
historic visit of Zucker's team to Vietnam, became the inspiration for
an article on melo-melo pearls, published in the July 1997 issue of the
reputed Smithsonian Magazine, that provided the crucial publicity
required for the popularization of these pearls. The photographs of
melo-melo pearls that accompanied this publication, was widely believed
to be from the Bao Dai's collection of melo-melo pearls. It is then not
far-fetched to assume that these photographs actually represented
melo-melo pearls from the collection of 23 deep-orange melo-melo pearls
brought in by the Swiss dealer, which necessarily means, what the Swiss
dealer brought for Zucker's assessment and evaluation was none other
than the Bao Dai's collection of pearls. It is also possible that some
of the photographs that appeared in this publication, were taken during
Zucker's exploratory visit to Vietnam.
The fact that the collection of melo-melo pearls were
entrusted to a Swiss dealer for sale, adds credence to this story, as
Switzerland is not far away from Paris, where Emperor Bao Dai lived in
exile. Moreover, the fact that the collection first made its appearance
in 1993, four years before the death of the ex-monarch, raises the
possibility that the exploratory contacts made for the evaluation and
possible sale of the pearls, were done perhaps to overcome some
financial constraints. Whatever may be the provenance of these 23
melo-melo pearls, the fate of this collection after it made its
appearance in Zucker's office in New York, is not known exactly.
A melo-melo pearl
sets a record price of USD 488,311 at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong
in November 1999
In November 1999, two years after the publication of
the Smithsonian article, melo-melo pearls were once again brought into
the limelight, when a near-spherical fiery-orange melo-melo pearl, with
long and short diameters of 23.0 and 19.35 mm respectively, fetched an
unprecedented record price for a single pearl, USD 488,311, 16 times
more than the upper pre-sale estimate of USD 30,000, at a Christie's
auction held in Hong Kong. This unexpectedly strong showing of the pearl
at the auction was attributed to Zucker's work on the pearl and the
subsequent Smithsonian article published in 1997, where photographs of
the Bao Dai's collection appeared. Soon after this record-breaking
auction in 1999, melo-melo pearls appeared from nowhere in the pearl
markets, apparently belonging to collectors trying to cash-in on this unexpected popularity, and prices of
pearls dropped to the tens of thousands of dollars, in keeping with the
increase in supply.
How the present
anonymous owner of the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl, the largest pearl in the
Bao Dai's Collection, acquire the pearl between 1993 and 1996 ?
The 397.52-carat Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl with
dimensions of 37.97 x 37.58 mm is believed to be the largest melo-melo
pearl in Bao Dai's collection. This obviously means that the present
anonymous owner of the pearl, purchased it either from the Swiss dealer
or another dealer authorized by the ex-monarch or his heirs to dispose
of the pearl. However, according to Mr. Ray Chen, the Melo Pearl Agent
based in Taichung, Taiwan, who has been assigned the task of selling the
World's No.1, natural melo pearl, by its anonymous owner, the pearl was
purchased by its current owner over 10 years ago, from a Vietnamese, who
looked like some disappointed noble. He does not specify, however, where
the transaction took place, whether it was in Vietnam, Paris or
Switzerland! The year of transaction can be estimated from the known
facts. The year the Bao Dai's Collection first appeared in New York was
in 1993, and the date appearing on the AIGS certificate issued in
respect of the pearl, signed by Dr. Kenneth Scarrett, is December 26,
1996. Assuming that the certificate was issued just prior to the
transaction, in which the present owner acquired the pearl, the
transaction obviously would have taken place either in 1996 or 1997. If
however, the certificate was issued on the request of the current owner
of the pearl in anticipation of disposing the pearl, after he had
purchased it earlier without a certificate, the transaction would have
taken place somewhere between 1993 and 1996.
Is the Bao
Dai/Sunrise melo-melo pearl one of two almost similar melo-melo pearls that arose
in the same Melo melo sea-snail ?
According to Mr. Ray Chen, the Vietnamese seller of
the pearl had told the current owner at the time of purchase, that the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl was one of almost similar twin
pearls, that originated from the same Melo melo sea-snail. While one of
the twins had a diameter of approximately 38 mm, the other twin pearl had a
diameter of 32.0 mm. Thus according to this story, the World's first and
second largest melo-melo pearls having diameters of approximately 38 and
32 mm
respectively, originated in one and the same Melo melo sea-snail. This
information was provided in the Smithsonian Magazine article. Christie's
auction house had attempted to sell the second largest Melo melo pearl
at one of their auctions in Hong Kong, around the year 2000. The results
of that auction are not known, but the second largest and roundest
melo-melo pearl appeared at a Jewelry Show held in Thailand in September
2006. The occurrence of more than one pearl in the same gastropod
mollusk is quite possible, given the enormous size of the melo-melo
sea-snail, and the well-documented instances of multiple pearls
occurring in the same bivalve mollusks such as oysters like Pinctada
radiata, that produce seed pearls.
The rarity of Bao
Dai/Sunrise melo-melo pearl
Evidences for the
rarity of melo-melo pearls
Melo-Melo pearls are among the rarest natural pearls
in the world, but their exact frequency of occurrence is not known, save
for the vague reports of fisherman that their occurrence is one in
several thousand sea-snails. Thus evidence for their rarity come only
from the experiences of sea-snail fisherman, workers involved in
cleaning and cooking sea-snails, dealers in melo-melo pearls, and
historical evidences. An interesting evidence of their
rarity was reported in Vietnam by a cook who had processed and cooked
sea-snails for almost 50 years, but never found a melo-melo pearl.
Please go to our page
Melo Melo Pearls for the full story.
Another evidence came from a Vietnamese navy diver who during his
lifetime had seen thousands of sea-snails, but only one melo-melo pearl.
Among the historical evidences of their rarity is the lack of reference
to these pearls in the most comprehensive compendium of pearls, written
at the turn of the twentieth century, the "Book of the Pearl" by G. F.
Kunz, in which pearls produced in different parts of the world, such as
the traditional hub of the pearl industry, the Persian Gulf, the Red
Sea, and the Gulf of Mannar; the pearl industry of the New World, such
as Venezuela, Panama and Colombia; the South Sea pearls of Australia
etc. are extensively treated. Had melo-melo pearls been quite common and
reached the pearl markets of the world, like other pearls, they would
not have undoubtedly missed the attention of G. F. Kunz, the world
authority on pearls at that time. However, the practical evidence of
their reality comes mainly from the dealers themselves, who are well
aware of their rarity and scarcity in the pearl markets. In ancient
times due to the religious significance attached to these pearls, and
their association with the monarchy, the few pearls that were discovered
either by the king's subjects or his agents were surrendered to the
king, and entered his sacred collection. The 23 pearls in Bao Dai's
Collection are believed to have been built up in this manner.
Causes for the
recent increase in the number of melo-melo pearls in the pearl markets
Thus, it is an accepted fact that melo-melo pearls
are indeed very rare. However, recent increase in the number of
melo-melo pearls in the pearl markets, are attributed to two factors. 1)
Pearls from private collections entering the markets, to take advantage
of the surge in popularity of the pearls, particularly after the
record-breaking price of USD 488,311 fetched by a fiery-orange melo-melo
pearl at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong in 1997. 2) An increase in
production of melo-melo pearls in Vietnam and Burma, after extensive
trawler fishing of Melo melo sea-snails in deep waters beginning in the
1990's.
The Bao
Dai/Sunrise Pearl known as the "Mysterious Pearl" can also be
characterized as the "Rarest of the Rare Pearls."
Given the rarity of these pearls it is believed that
only several hundreds of these pearls exist today including
the pearls discovered in ancient times. According to a CNN iReport given
by Ray Chen, the agent for selling the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl there may
be only around 200 to 300 pieces of gem-quality melo-melo pearls in the
world. This estimate may not be far from the truth given the extreme
rarity of these pearls. Among these extremely rare pearls, the Bao
Dai/Sunrise Pearl occupies a unique position, and may be characterized
as a "rarest of the rare pearls." The intense-orange color, the
perfectly spherical shape, the large diameter and weight of the pearl,
has made the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl the "largest, roundest and most
perfect natural melo-melo pearl in the world." It is also the "roundest
of the world's biggest pearls," and the "largest of the world's round or
spherical pearls." Taking into consideration the rare distinctions the
Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl has earned, we can truly say that the pearl is
indeed extremely rare. This was undoubtedly the reason that led the
National Museum of Natural History to call this pearl the "mysterious
pearl."
What causes the
formation of larger and spherical pearls ?
As much as the larger size of melo-melo pearls, near-spherical and spherical shapes are also quite common among
these pearls. The larger size and spherical shape are clearly associated
with the enormous size of the Melo melo sea-snails. The unusually large
size of the sea-snail enables the growth of larger pearls inside the
viscera of the snail. The soft tissues in the visceral mass enable equal
expansion of the pearl on all sides during its growth, resulting in a
large spherical pearl. It is not known exactly what tissues in the
visceral mass are involved in pearl formation. If it was the outer
mantle tissues as in other pearl forming mollusks, the external shell is
too close to this tissue, that it might interfere with the expansion of
the pearl. Thus some smaller pearls may yet originate from the mantle
tissues. However, larger spherical pearls may have a deeper origin
within the visceral mass of the snail, possibly the large gonads, where
it can grow and expand freely on all sides.
How long does it take
for the development of a pearl like the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl ?
Time taken for
pearls to develop is associated with the lifespan. Largest life span in
mollusks are found in the Bivalvia.
As for the time taken for the large melo-melo pearls
to develop, it is closely associated with the lifespan of the
sea-snail. Under the Phylum Mollusca, the three main classes are the
Bivalvia, Gastropoda and Cephalopoda. Among these three classes, the
greatest lifespan has been reported from the Bivalvia. The Bivalvia
include species such as oysters, mussels, clams, quahogs, scallops etc.
One of the longest lifespan in animals has been reported from an ocean
quahog known as the Icelandic Cyprine (Arctica islandica) which was
found by scientists to have lived for a period of 405 to 410 years.
Another specimen of Arctica islandica had previously been found to have
lived up to 374 years. The third highest recorded lifespan for mollusks
comes from a species of saltwater clam native to the Puget Sound in
northwestern Washington, known as Geoduck, known to have lived for over
160 years. Several freshwater mussels of the family Unionoidae are known
to survive for over a hundred years.
The lifespan of
Cephalopod mollusks
The Cephalopoda include squids, giant squids,
cuttlefish, octopus and giant octopus. Smaller squids have a lifespan of
not more than one year. Cuttlefish can have a lifespan of 18 months.
Small octopus species have a short life expectancy, some species as
little as six months. Among smaller squids and octopuses reproduction is
a cause of death. Males live only for a few months after mating. Females
die shortly after their eggs hatch. The life expectancy of most of
the large oceanic squids and octopuses are not known, but the Giant
Squid Architeuthis are known to attain their bulk after a period of 4 to
5 years. The Pacific Giant Octopus has a life expectancy of up to 5
years.
The life span of
Gastropod mollusks
The three main sub-classes of Gastropoda are
Prosobranchia, Opisthobranchia and Pulmonata. A majority of
gastropods are Prosobranchs and includes periwinkles, limpets, conchs,
volutes, abalones, whelks, cones, murexes and cowries. The Pulmonata include the
lung-breathing garden snails and slugs. The Opisthobranchs are marine
gastropods in which the shell is reduced or absent and the bodies are
very colorful. In Opisthobranchs and many Pulmonates, the lifespan in
only about an year, but there are some notable exceptions. The apple
snail, an aquatic variety that does not generally live for more than a
year, has been found to live as long as 12 years in captivity. The
Achatinidae snail can live as long as 7 years. Among the family
Helicidae, the average lifespan of different species of Helix, in the
wild is about 2 to 3 years. Some Helicidae, such as Helix pomatia (Roman
snail, Escargot, Burgundy snail or edible snail), have been found to
survive up to 30 years or more.
The Prosobranchs, to which the bailer volute or Melo melo sea-snail belong,
have a much longer life-span. Some freshwater Prosobranchs like Vivipara
sp. have lived up to 20 years in captivity. Some Sonoran desert snails
from California may have a lifespan of 20 to 50 years. The limpet,
Patella vulgate can live 5 to 16 years. The periwinkle, Littorina
littorea can live up to 4 to 10 years. Among the whelks, researches in
Japan have determined that five whelk species from the Buccinidae family
have lifespans varying from 9 to 16 years. The queen conch (Strombus
gigas) belonging to the family Strombidae, attain their maximum growth
when they are about 3 to 5 years old and can grow to a maximum length of
about 30 cm (12 inches), attaining a weight of about 2.3 kg (5 lbs). If
left undisturbed in their natural habitat, queen conches can have a
lifespan of about 20 to 30 years. Haliotis corrugata (pink abalone),
belonging to the family Haliotidae, reach maturity at the age of 3 to 4
years, when the diameter of the shell is only 3.5 cm, but continue to
feed on kelps and grow to a maximum size of 25 cm, having a lifespan of
about 30 years.
What is the
lifespan of a Melo-melo sea-snail ?
Unfortunately, in the case of the bailer volute -
Melo melo sea-snail - nothing much is known about its lifespan. The
snail is known to be carnivorous feeding on other predatory gastropods,
reaching an average length of 15 to 27.5 cm with a maximum reported size
of 36.2 cm. The large size of Melo melo sea-snails can be due to faster
growth or longer lifespan or both. In comparison to the Strombidae and
Haliotidae in which the sea-snails can have a life span of about 30
years, the maximum lifespan of Melo melo sea-snails may be several
decades, but cannot be over a hundred years as speculated in some
websites. Only thick-shelled freshwater mussels among Mollusks can have
a lifespan of over hundred years. Such long lifespans have never been
reported for gastropod mollusks. The maximum lifespan reported for
gastropod snails is around 50 years for Sonoran desert snails. A
lifespan of around 50 years (five decades) for a Melo melo sea-snail may
be a reasonable estimate, not far from the actual lifespan, yet to be
revealed by scientific research.
A melo-melo pearl
like the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl may take several decades for its
development
An observation that has been made in melo-melo
pearls, is that the largest pearls are always found in the largest
sea-snails. This is obvious, because the largest sea-snails are fully
grown, and any pearls that developed inside are also fully developed and
have the largest size. In keeping with a lifespan of around 50
years for the Melo melo sea-snail, some of the larger pearls discovered
from these snails, including the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl may have been
around 40-45 years old at the time they were discovered, assuming that
the lodging of irritant that started pearl formation took place after
the sea-snail had attained maturity around 5 years of age.
Failure to culture
melo-melo pearls have significantly raised their profile as one of the
true natural pearls in the world today
After melo-melo pearls received attractive prices in
the international pearl markets several Southeast Asian countries
invested heavily on research to culture these rare beauties of nature in
Melo melo sea-snails. Such research activities had met with only limited
success. Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand, had been a
pioneer in this field. Attempts to culture conch pearls inside Strombus
gigas had also been not so encouraging. One reason for the failure has
been attributed to the difficulty in accessing the pearl-producing area
of the snail, due to its twisted anatomy.
Mr Ray Chen's
attempts to sell the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl
Attempts made by Mr. Ray Chen of Taiwan, the
representative assigned by the anonymous owner of the Bao Dai/Sunrise
Pearl, to sell it on his behalf, has not yet been successful. According
to Mr. Chen, the former Yugoslavian Prince, Dmitri Karageorge, had
offered USD 5 million for the pearl, at the Taiwan Sotheby's about 5
years ago, suggesting that he should not sell it by public auction.
After the prince got back to USA from Taiwan, he offered about USD 7
million for the pearl, and yet the owner of the pearl did not accept the
offer. Mr. Ray Chen and the owner of the pearl, are yet waiting for
better offers than this.
You are welcome to discuss this
post/related topics with Dr Shihaan and other experts from around the
world in our
FORUMS (forums.internetstones.com)
Related :-
1) Melo Melo Pearl
2)
Queen Mary Conch Pearl Brooch
3)
Susan Hendrickson Conch Pearls
External Links :-
Largest, Roundest, Most Perfect Melo Pearl in the World- Kari Pearls
References :-
1) Largest, Roundest, Most Perfect Melo Pearl in the
World - www.karipearls.com
2) Bao Dai - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
3) Vietnam War - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia.
4) The Worldly No.1 Perfect Natural Pearl Found - CNN
iReport
5) Facebook - Ray Chen
6) List of Long-Living Organisms - From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia.
7) Gastropoda - www.manandmollusc.net
8) Helix (Gastropod) - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia.
