Introduction
The Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl is without any doubt the
world's largest, roundest and most perfect melo-melo pearl, with the
most desired intense-orange color. It also holds the rare distinction of
being the world's largest and most perfectly round pearl out of all
nacreous and non-nacreous pearls. Apart from the Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl,
other melo-melo pearls of lesser sizes but of equally good quality and
desirable colors have appeared at auctions conducted by renowned auction
houses, and fetched moderate prices. Rare melo-melo pearls have also
appeared at international gem and jewelry shows, like the Tucson Gem and
Mineral Show. A
rare specimen is also found in the Phuket Sea Shell Museum, in Phuket,
Thailand.
This webpage dedicated to some rare melo-melo pearls,
considers the following pearls in detail :-
1) A 140-carat golden melo-melo pearl at the Phuket
Sea Shell Museum
2) A 75.07-carat orange melo-melo displayed by Pala
International at the 2009 Tucson Show.
3) A 57-carat orange-color melo-melo pearl that
appeared at Bonhams Natural History auction in Los Angeles, on January
16, 2005.
Golden Melo-Melo Pearl at the Phuket
Sea Shell Museum
Characteristics of
the Golden Melo-Melo Pearl
The Phuket Sea Shell Museum, situated along Viset
Road, Rawai Beach, Phuket, Thailand, and owned by the Patamakanthin
family, who had spent a lifetime collecting sea shells from all over
the world, houses one of the rarest melo-melo pearls in the world, known
as the "Golden Pearl" perhaps because of its golden-yellow color. The
pearl whose dimensions are not known, has an oval or egg-shape, and a
weight of 140 carats. The golden-yellow color of this pearl is indeed
very unique, and the beauty of the pearl is further enhanced by the
spectacular shimmering effect on its surface, known as the "flame
structure." Even though the pearl is non-nacreous, its beauty surpasses
the beauty of most nacreous pearls, once again raising the question
whether its classification under non-nacreous pearls, which are not
"true pearls" is justified. Some serious re-thinking about the status of melo-melo pearls is required, after these rare "fireballs" of nature
have come under the spotlight at public auctions, and are fetching
competitive prices.
The Golden Melo Melo Pearl
Photo Credit
Phuket-Tourism. COM
Origin of the pearl
The pearl originated in the Indian Volute or Bailer
Volute, scientifically known as the Melo melo sea-snail, whose natural
habitat is the sandy or muddy bottoms of the algal dominated
infra-littoral and animal-dominated circa-littoral sub-zones of
the sub-littoral zone, up to depths of 50 to 100 meters. The
geographical range of the Melo melo sea-snail are the seas of the
Southeast Asian region, such as the South China Sea, the Gulf of
Thailand, the Andaman Sea, and the Bay of Bengal closer to Burma. The
Melo melo sea-snail occurs in the coastal waters of Vietnam, Cambodia,
Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, and
also off the coast of Northern Australia, in the South China Sea. This
region is known as the Indo-pacific region. The golden-yellow melo-melo
pearl in the Phuket Sea Shell Museum was discovered from a Melo melo
sea-snail brought up by dredgers operated by trawlers, from depths of 40
to 80 meters, in the west coast of Phuket Islands.
History of the Phuket
Sea Shell Museum
Early efforts of
the founder Somnuk Patamakanthin in establishing the museum
The Phuket Sea Shell Museum, one of the outstanding
private museums in the world, with a collection of over
2,000 species, is the result of the devotion and dedication of the Patamakanthin
family, who spent a period of over forty years, visiting
countries all over the world, scouting for the most beautiful and unique
shells, and gradually building up the collection. The collection was
actually started by Somnuk Patamakanthin, the father, who was born in
Damnoen Saduak, Ratchaburi Province, and later migrated to Phuket. As a
young boy Somnuk began the collection of seashells to make a living.
Seashells found in the waters of Thailand always had a great
collectors' value and fetched premium prices. Somnuk's interest in
collecting shells eventually acquired a dual purpose, partly commercial
and partly as a hobby. His collecting habit instilled in him a love of
nature, and a craving to understand his own environment, that led him to
dedicate his entire life towards the study of these beautiful creations
of nature. His collection grew to enormous proportions, and Somnuk felt
that just keeping such an important collection in the confines of his
home wound not serve any useful purpose, and would better serve the
cause of nature and humanity, by exhibiting them to the general public.
Such an exposition would increase awareness among the public of nature's
valuable gifts to mankind, and help to instill in him a love and respect
for nature and the environment. Besides it would also help mankind to
realize and appreciate his own crucial position in the natural
environment vis-à-vis other living things in nature. Somnuk then
established the Phuket Sea Shell Museum, at the same time his son
Somwang Patamakanthin aka Jom, was born.
“There were countless shells in the sea but no one in Thailand who
managed or collected them for the purpose of trading and education. I
have always valued nature and I thought I could make use of shells
harmlessly and effectively. As a result I established the shell museum
at the same time that my son, Jom, was born,” said Somnuk in an
interview given to Sarinthorn Eiamfang
Somwang
Patamakanthin inherits his fathers passion for shell collecting and
continues to expand the collection
Jom, who grew up under the shadow of his father,
inherited his father's passion for collecting shells, that also opened
the way for him to make a living and broaden his horizons. He joined his
father on his overseas shell-collecting trips, which gave the young Jom
an opportunity of not only seeing a variety of shells in their original
environment, but also being exposed to a variety of human races and
their cultures. Both father and son together have scoured the remotest
corners of the world, and built up this valuable collection, that
numbers over 2,000 species of shells. Apart from Thailand, some of the
countries from where the different shell species had been collected
include, Taiwan, Philippines, Japan, France, Germany, England, Canada,
USA, Cuba and Morocco. Somwang Patamakanthin is now the Managing
Director and Curator of the Museum, and continues to build on the
success of his father, collecting more and more shells, and planning to
expand the museum and open new branches to help spread the message on
nature and its appreciation, initiated by his father.
Some of the
objectives of the Phuket Shell Museum
Some of the aims and objectives of the Phuket Shell
Museum as envisaged by its founders the Patamakanthin family are as
follows :-
1) Increasing awareness among the public of nature's
biodiversity, and the crucial role played by man in the maintenance of
such diversity.
2) Instilling a love and respect for nature and the
environment.
3) The need for preserving the environment for the
sustenance of life on this planet.
4) Helping people understand life through the
understanding of shells.
5) To make the museum a focal point for like-minded
people who share the same interest, viz. the study of shells.
6) To expand the knowledge and appreciation of shells
by creating new museums.
7) To give the younger generation a chance to be
inspired by shells, and thereby instill in them a respect for life and
nature.
Most of the shells
in the collection belong to the Phylum Mollusca, both living and
extinct, but other Phyla such as Echinodermata, Arthropoda and the
Vertebrate Reptilia are also represented
The shell collection of the Phuket Shell Museum have
received international acclaim as one of the most extraordinary shell
collections in the world. A considerable number of shells in the
collection are from the seas around Thailand and the Phuket Island, the
Gulf of Thailand, the Andaman Sea and the Malacca Straits. Other shells
in the collection are from different countries from different regions of
the world, such as Asia, Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean and Africa.
While the shells in the collection are mainly from the Phylum Mollusca,
representing the classes Gastropoda, Bivalvia, and Cephalopoda, there
are also species from the Phylum Echinodermata, such as sea urchin
shells. However, majority of the shells, are from the class Gastropoda,
and sub-class Prosobranchia, that include conchs, volutes, whelks, cones
etc. Some shells from the sub-class Pulmonata (land snails) are also
represented.
The colorful sea urchin (Echinodermata) shells in the
Museum, come from locations in Canada, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and
Phuket itself. The class Cephalopoda of Phylum Mollusca, is represented
by both live specimens and shells of the Chambered Nautilus, Nautilus
pompilius.
The sub-class, Prosobranchia of the Gastropda are represented
by the families Turbinellidae (conch shells and vase shells), Turbinidae
(turban and star shells), Trochidae (top shells), Xenophoridae (carrier
shells), Pleurotomariidae (slit shells), Angariidae (delphinula shells),
Coralliophilidae (latiaxis shells), Volutidae (noble volutes), etc.
The sub-class, Pulmonata, among others is also represented by one of the
world's most colorful land-based snails from Cuba, known as the Painted Polymita with a beautiful shell having a colorful design, that includes
colors such as black, white, orange and red.
Some Polymita Shells from Cuba- Not part of the museum
collection
The Bivalvia, among others is also represented by the impressive Giant
Clam shells, the world's largest species of bivalve, with the scientific
name Tridacna gigas, found in the shallow coral reefs off the Philippine
Islands, particularly off the Island of Palawan, and also in the Great
Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, in northeast Australia. Some
of the Giant Clams can reach a weight of up to 300 kg and can live for
over a hundred years.
Tridacna gigas- Giant Clam Shell - Not part of the
museum collection
©
Bonhams
Fossils specimens
in the collection date back from around 10 million years to 540 million
years.
The collection also includes Fossil shells of extinct
Bivalvia, Gastropoda and Cephalopoda. An example of a fossil bivalve is
Chlamys acutus from the Miocene period, about 12 million years old,
collected from Lacoste near Avignon in France. Campanile giganteum is a
large fossil gastropod from the Eocene period, around 35 million years
old, collected from from the Paris basin, Damery, France. Among the
fossil Cephalopods, there are shells of the most primitive ammonites
from the Devonian period, which are over 350 million years old,
collected from Morocco, as well as the more recent fossil ammonites from
the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, between 175 to 65 million years
old, collected from Germany, England and France.
Fossil shells that do not belong to fossil Mollusca,
but yet included in the collection, are a fossil land turtle shell
(Vertebrate Phylum Reptilia), from the Oligocene period, about 30
million years old, collected from South Dakota, USA. Fossil marine
Arthropods of the class Trilobita (Trilobite) with a calcite
exoskeleton, and belonging to the Early Cambrian period of the lower
Palaeozoic Era, 540 million years ago are also a part of the display in
the museum.
Extremely rare
exhibits in the collection
1) The Golden Melo-Melo
Pearl - While most of the shells in the collection are quite
rare, such as the Giant Clam shells, the painted Polymita, and the
different fossil specimens varying in age from a few million to over 500
million years, there are at least two specimens in the collection that
are extremely rare indeed. These are one of the world's largest golden
melo-melo pearls weighing 140 carats, and discovered from a bailer
volute or the Melo melo sea-snail , brought out from a depth of 40 to 80
meters, by trawlers, off the west coast of Phuket Island. Melo melo
pearls are indeed very very rare, the occurrence of a pearl being one in
several thousand sea-snails. It is estimated that only around 200 to 300
gem-quality melo-melo pearls exist in the world today, and most of them
are in private collections.
2) The world's only
left-handed noble-volute shell - Another, extremely rare exhibit in the collection is
the world's only left-handed noble-volute shell (Cymbiola nobilis).
Gastropods shells can be right-handed or left-handed, depending on
whether they are spiraled clockwise or anticlockwise. When a shell is
held in a position, such that the apex of the shell is at the top and
the aperture facing the person holding the shell, those with aperture
facing the right are right-handed(dextral), and those with aperture
facing the left, are left-handed (sinistral). Most gastropods have
right-handed shells, except in a few species such as land and tree
snails that have left-handed shells. But even among them there can be
exceptions. In the noble-volute, Cymbiola nobilis, existing in the
sub-littoral zone of the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, down
to depths of about 100 meters, the shell is usually right-handed, and
several of them are displayed in the museum. However, there is one
unique noble-volute shell among them, placed in the center of the
display case, which is considered to be the one and only left-handed
noble-volute shell ever discovered. The specimen was brought up by
trawlers operating in the Gulf of Thailand.
Left-Handed and Right-Handed Shells of Neptunia
Species
Orange melo-melo
pearl displayed by Pala International at the 2009 Tucson Show
Characteristics of
the Pearl
Pala Gems International in their AGTA booth at the
55th annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show held in February 2009, exhibited
a "rarity of the rarities," a perfect and beautiful, oval or egg-shaped melo-melo pearl of Southeast Asian origin. The pearl had a weight of
75.07 carats, a medium-sized pearl, when compared to the larger
melo-melo pearls over 100 carats in weight. The dimensions of the pearl
are not known. The perfect oval or egg-shape of the pearl is indeed very
stunning, to the extent that it can be characterized as one of most
perfect oval-shaped natural pearls in the world. The intense orange
color of the pearl, reminiscent of the color of the interior of a ripe
pawpaw, is also one of the most desirable and sought-after colors
in melo-melo pearls, out of the range of colors in which they can
appear, such as light, medium and dark, yellow, orange and brown or a
mixture of two of these colors. The pearl has the characteristic
porcellaneous luster of non-nacreous pearls, supplemented by the
shimmering effect of a strong and unusual "flame structure," caused by the
arrangement of microcrystalline calcite fibers in the pearl-forming
substance. The combination of desired characteristics such as the
perfect oval shape, the medium size, the intense-orange color, the
spectacular shimmering effect of its "flame structure" makes this
melo-melo pearl, an extremely rare natural pearl, that deserves to be
listed under the category of famous pearls of the world. Little wonder
then, that Pala Gems International, had placed a price tag of $1,300 per
carat for this pearl, which works out to a reasonable total of USD
97,591, a price that reflects the present market value of quality
melo-melo pearls, after the initial staggering prices achieved by these
rare pearls, following the sale of a near-spherical, fiery, orange
melo-melo pearl, for a record USD 488,311 at a Christie's auction in
Hong Kong in November 1999.
Orange Egg Shaped Melo Melo Pearl
©Pala
International. photo by Delphine Leblanc
The Source of the
Pearl
A possible source
of the pearl is Vietnam
The source of this rare melo-melo pearl, is either
Vietnam or Burma, two of the countries that has significantly increased
the production of melo-melo pearls recently, after the extensive trawler
fishing in deep waters (50-100 meters) of the bailer volute or Melo melo
sea-snail, the gastropod mollusks in which these "fireballs" of nature
grow. Vietnam had been the primary source of melo-melo pearls in the
world, since ancient times, where the pearl had become a symbol of their
religion and culture. Vietnamese, being Buddhists, revered the pearl and
the bailer shell, as a sacred object, as in Buddhism the pearl was
considered a symbol of perfection, a gemstone that was naturally perfect
and beautiful, and did not require human intervention to bring out its
beauty as in other gemstones. Melo-Melo pearls became one of the eight
precious emblems of Lord Buddha, the enlightened one, the other emblems
being the canopy (umbrella), the sacred vase, the royal banner, the
wheel of life, a pair of fishes, the endless knot and the lotus flower.
The dragon and the melo pearl motif in Chinese and Vietnamese decorative
art, symbolized the emperor (represented by the dragon) pursuing the
pearl, the symbol of perfection, a goal that all Vietnamese and Chinese
emperors strived to achieve. Thus melo-melo pearls were highly valued by
the emperor, who accumulated a large collection, by sending his ships to
the Halong Bay and the South China Sea to look for these pearls, and the
voluntary surrendering of such pearls to the emperor, by his subjects.
The intensive trawler fishing of Melo melo sea-snails
in Vietnam, started in the early 1990s, and still continues up to this
day, even though large sea-snails are now becoming very scarce, and
pearls discovered are becoming still scarcer. It has been observed that
larger melo-melo pearls are usually associated with larger sea-snails
that have undergone the full course of development, that lasts several
decades.
Another possible
source of the pearl is Myanmar (Burma)
Unlike in Vietnam, in Burma, melo-melo pearls
were relatively unknown in the past, with no written literature or
historical references to the pearl, even though Burma too was a
predominantly Buddhist country, like Vietnam. However, along the Arakan
coast, the southern region of Dawei, the Mergui Archipelago, and
Kawthaung in the Andaman Sea, there existence had been known for quite
some time, the bailer volute shells being known as "Ohn kayu" - coconut
shell - and the orange pearls produced by them being referred to as "Ohn
pale" - coconut pearls. The Melo melo sea-snails are fished from the
muddy sea bottoms using trawlers, known as "Wa-lat" or "Gar" at depths
of 30 to 50 meters. Most of the melo-melo pearls are fished from the
Mergui archipelago, which are then sold at the town of Mergui, a local
trading center for these rare pearls. The pearls that are purchased by
the local dealers from the fisherman, eventually find their way to the
capital city of Myanmar, Yangon (Rangoon) or to the capital of
neighboring Thailand, Bangkok, where they are sold by auction to the
highest bidder.
Factors that
determine the value of melo-melo pearls
The size, spherical shape, intense-orange color and
the spectacular flame structure are all factors that enhance the value
of a melo-melo pearl. However, melo-melo pearls with shapes other than
spherical and near-spherical, such as button, irregular or baroque
shapes, having a subdued flame structure, and a mottled surface with
white spots, and colors other than intense-orange are less valuable.
Pala International
Inc.
The History of
Pala International Inc
Pala International Inc.was founded four decades ago
in 1968, by Bill Larson, a connoisseur of fine gems and minerals, who
set up the company known as Pala Properties International, that
purchased three gem mines in San Diego county, California. The three mines located in
the foothills of northern San Diego County were known as the Stewart
Lithia Mine, Tourmaline Queen Mine and the Pala Chief Mine. A gem mining
industry based on Tourmaline deposits had been established in San Diego
since the 19th-century, and the three mines purchased by Pala
Properties International had been part of that industry. The gems mined
in this region were purchased by gem houses from America, Europe and
Asia. One of the leading jewelry establishments in the United States,
Tiffany's was also actively involved in purchasing gemstones from this
region, and had appointed part-time buyers who operated from the Pala
and Mesa Grande mining districts. The Chinese also had taken a special
interest in Tourmaline, using the gemstone in oriental carvings and on
mandarin clothing. The San Diego County records show that gemstone
production in the early 1900s, had exceeded two million dollars.
Organized mining activities in San Diego did not take
place, until the emergence of Pala Properties International in 1968.
Initially, the Stewart Lithia Mine produced small quantities of
Tourmaline from small pockets of the mineral in the mine. The real
breakthrough in mining came in 1972, when a new strike was made at the
Tourmaline Queen Mine, that produced high-quality tourmaline crystals.
The new strike was characterized as "the find of the century, both in
terms of color and perfection." It was during this strike that an
exceptional tourmaline piece was discovered, that was named the
"candelabra" which is now put on display at the Janet Annenberg Hooker
Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals of the National Museum of Natural
History, of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington DC.
The opening of
Pala International's retail shops in Fallbrook and Carlsbad, California.
Pala International opened its first retail shop known
as "The Collector" in Falbrook, northern San Diego County in 1971, that
showcased the gems and minerals mined by the company, and other objects
of art, for the benefit of collectors and dealers in the gem and jewelry
trade. Based on the success of this venture, the company opened a second
retail shop at the Four Seasons Aviara, in Carlsbad, California. The two
shops are the main outlets for the company's exquisitely crafted
handmade jewelry, set with a variety of gems mined in three different
continents, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Pala has earned an
international reputation as a leading gem, mineral and jewelry company,
that obtains its gemstones and minerals directly from the source. Pala
has its own staff or its agents in the major gem and mineral producing
areas in the world, purchasing the highest quality rough gemstones and
minerals, as they come out of the mines. Even for purchasing the rare
melo-melo pearls, Pala has its own agents based in the producing
countries such as Vietnam and Myanmar. Little wonder then that Pala
International has earned a reputation as the best source for the world's
finest colored stones. This is of course in keeping with the company's
slogan, "The only way to sell quality is to buy it." Pala always buys
the highest quality gemstones from the source, that are eventually set
in their exquisite handcrafted fine jewelry, that are renowned for their
highest quality.
Pala
International, a founder member of the ICA and AGTA
A key player in the international gem and jewelry
trade, Pala International is a founder member of the International
Colored Gemstone Association (ICA), founded in 1983, and the American
Gem Trade Association (AGTA), founded in 1981. Besides the Company is a
registered dealer of the American Gem Society (AGS), an association of
fine jewelers, whose members are committed to the highest standards of
business ethics, in order to protect the consumer. Among the company's
leading clientele are Tiffany's, Neiman Marcus, Borsheim, The
Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History and the
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
Orange melo-melo
pearl sold at Bonhams Natural History Auction at Los Angeles on January
16, 2005
Characteristics of
the Pearl
The description of
the pearl in the Bonhams auction catalogue
Bonhams sale 13070, a Natural History Sale was held
on January 16, 2005, at its auction house at Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles,
California. Among the Gem and Jewelry category of the sale, Lot No. 2390
was an impressive melo-melo pearl, described as the "Dragons Flaming
Pearl" discovered from the Melo melo sea-snail off the coast of Vietnam,
in the waters of the Halong Bay or the South China Sea.
The auction catalogue described Lot No. 2390 as
follows :- Lot 2390 is a highly important, undrillled, non-nacreous,
spherical pearl of vivid orange color, with porcelain finish and good
luster, exceptional for its large size. Its limited availability makes
it one of the world's rarest gems, weighing approximately 57.0
carats and measuring 19.5 mm.
Accompanied by a now out-of-print book of essays
regarding the melo-melo pearl edited by Derek Content, entitled the
"Pearl and The Dragon": A Study of Vietnamese Pearls and a History of
the Oriental Pearl Trade, published by Outset Services Ltd, Boston Spa,
England, 1999.
An analysis of the
description provided in the catalogue
The diameter of the pearl is given as 19.5 mm and the
weight as 57.0 carats. The diameter of melo-melo pearls can vary from a
few millimeters to around 35 mm, the largest diameter ever recorded
being 37.97 mm. Thus among melo-melo pearls, this pearl can be
considered as a medium-sized pearl. The shape of the pearl is given as
spherical, the most sought-after shape in any category of pearls.
Spherical and near-spherical shapes are quite common among melo-melo
pearls, given the enormous size of the snail, and its equally enormous
visceral mass, consisting of soft tissues that allow the equal growth
and expansion of the pearl on all sides. The color of the pearl is
described as a vivid orange color. This is perhaps a reference to the
much sought-after intense-orange color among melo-melo pearls. The
porcelain finish of course refers to a character of non-nacreous pearls,
which do not have the luster and iridescence of nacreous pearls, due to
the inability of calcite micro-fibrils to scatter white light unlike
aragonite micro- platelets. The reference to a good luster in the
description is however misleading, because such luster is an exclusive
property of nacreous pearls. Non-nacreous pearls like melo-melo pearls
only have a "porcellaneous" luster. However, it appears that the
reference to "good luster" might perhaps be a reference to the unique
"flame structure" of melo-melo pearls, which compensates for the lack of
luster as seen in nacreous pearls. The "flame structure" is a
spectacular chatoyant effect caused by the arrangement and alignment of
bundles of calcite micro-fibrils. The beauty of the shimmering "flame
structure" sometimes even surpasses the beauty of nacreous pearls.
The reference to undrilled in the description,
obviously means that no attempt had been made to drill the pearl in
order to set it in an ornament. Drilling melo-melo pearls do not present
any difficulties, as such pearls have a hardness of 5 in the Mohs scale,
the highest for any category of pearls. In Vietnam, where the pearl
originated, melo-melo pearls were revered as sacred objects in the past
and were never drilled. Thus the reference to undrilled may perhaps
emphasize the historical provenance of the pearl, similar to the use of
the term "highly important" before it. The term "highly important" may
refer to its historical provenance, possibly belonging to the collection
of a royal personality.
The Source of the
Pearl
The source of the pearl is given as the saltwaters
near Vietnam. Vietnam had been the primary source of melo-melo pearls
since very ancient times. These pearls were found in the Halong Bay of
Vietnam and the South China Sea. Previously, the bailer volute was found
even in the shallow waters of the Halong Bay, but after continuous
exploitation mainly as a source of food, the volute is not so common in
the shallow waters of the bay, but are now found only in the deeper
waters of the bay, as well as the South China Sea up to depths of 50 to
100 meters. Presently, some of the sea-snail rich areas in Vietnam are,
the sand banks around the Bach Long Vi Islands, in the Halong Bay,
midway between Haipong and Hainan Island, the waters surrounding the
Spartly and Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, and the Phu
Quoc Island near the Cambodian border. There had been a significant
increase in the production of melo-melo pearls in Vietnam, since the
early 1990s, after extensive trawler fishing for the Melo melo
sea-snails in deeper water of the Ha Long Bay, and the South China Sea.
The results of the
auction held on January 16, 2005
The results of the Bonhams Natural History Sale No.
13070, held on January 16, 2005, at Los Angeles, as given in its
website, show that Lot. No. 2390 - The Impressive Melo Pearl, The
Dragons Flaming Pearl - was sold for USD 18,800, a reasonable price
reflecting the current market values of melo-melo pearls, after the
initial staggering prices recorded at the Christie's auctions held in
November 1999 and April 2000. The falling prices of the pearls were
attributed to increased availability of the pearls, due to pearls from
collections being released to the markets, in order to benefit from the
surge in prices.
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 Pearls
2)
Bao Dai/Sunrise Pearl
External Links :-
1) Homepage - www.palagems.com
2)Phuket
Seashell Museum
References :-
1) The Secret of Shells - Interview of Somnuk
Patamakanthin and Somwang Patamakanthin of the Phuket Sea Shell Museum,
by Sarinthorn Eiamfang. www.daydreamerbear.multiply.com
2) Phuket Seashell Museum - www.bangkoksite.com
3) Phuket Seashell Museum - www.phuket-tourism.com
4) Gastropoda - www.manandmollusc.net
5) Tucson Show 2009 - Delphine Leblanc - Gem Features
- International Colored Gemstone Association. www.gemstone.org
6) Lot 2390 : An Impressive Melo Pearl - The Dragons
Flaming Pearl. www.artfact.com
7) Melo Pearls from Myanmar - Han Htun, Bill Larson,
Jo Ellen Cole - www.palagems.com
8) About Pala - www.palagems.com
