The Elusive Conch Pearl

Pretty and pastel-hued, a couch pearl is calcareous concretion produced by the Queen conch mollusc, which is a large, edible sea snail. Most often pink in colour and normally oval shaped, the finest examples display a wave-like "flame" structure on their surface and have a creamy, porcelain-like appearance and unique shimmer.

Unlike pearls harvested from oysters, conch pearls - like other naturally occurring pearls, including the Melo and Giant Clam - are non-nacreous, which means they are not made of nacre, the substance that gives traditional pearls their iridescent lustre. Therefore, they are not technically a pearl and are not considered to be "true pearls", although they are still referred to as such. Conch pearl is completely natural phenomenon, with no intervention from the human being.

Harvested by teams of fishermen, a single, elusive conch pearl is found in every 10-15,000 shells, although less than 10% of these are gem quality. This, together with its unusual colour, makes the conch pearl extremely desirable. Conch pearls are fond in a variety of colours, from white, beige, yellow and brown to golden and many different shades of pink- so many that they were regularly referred to as "pink pearls" in the 19th century.

Gem-quality conch pearls are often oval, which lends itself perfectly to jewellery, but they are found in all kinds of shapes, from baroque to rounded. Very rarely are they perfectly spherical. A perfectly symmetrical oval is the most desirable.

The history of conch pearls in jewellery designs stretches back centuries. Their popularity peaked in the late-Victorian and Edwardian eras, when they were referred to as "pink pearls". One prominent example from the era is the Queen Mary Conch Pearl Brooch. Modern couch pearl jewellery is rare due to the rareness of the couch pearl and is often a one-of-a-kind piece.

Known as the night gem, conch pearls are prone to fading with prolonged exposure to sunlight. It is advisable to keep them primarily for evening or occasional wear.