A pearl is found in only one in every 15,000 conch shells.
The pink conch pearl in this broach is 3.4ct.
The Dragon’s Egg is 86.24ct.
Facts
A conch pearl is a 100-percent natural phenomenon. It occurs with no intervention from man.
They are harvested by teams of fisherman.
Located throughout the Caribbean from the Yucatan to Bermuda.
A conch pearl is found only once in every 15,000 conch shells.
Gem-quality conch pearls are even more rare, at one out of every 10 pearls found.
Conch shells were considered sacred by the Incas and other early civilizations who regarded them as “the mouth piece to the gods.” It is reasonable to believe these pearls have been used as jewelry from prehistoric times to present day.
The exclusivity of conch shells is due to the fact that they are completely natural and are produced 100% “as nature intended,” with no artificial irritation of the conch to create their treasure.
VALUE
the dragon’s egg is now valued at $1,400,000
Value is based on a combination of size, shape, color and “flame” - the way the color appears when interacting with light.
Exceptional pearls can cost $15,000 per carat and more today.
Top-grade pearls sell in the range of $4,000-7,000 per carat, and “nice pearls” can be purchased for $2,000-3,000 per carat.
Given the quality, color and 86.24-carat size of The Dragon’s Egg pearl, its value has been calculated at between $1.2 million and $1.4 million today.
NUMBERS
The Numbers
Odds of finding a conch pearl: 1 in every 15,000 conch shells
Odds of finding a gem quality conch pearl: 1 in 150,000 (1 every 10 conch pearls)
Odds of finding a white conch pearl: 1 in 1 million (second rarest color behind chocolate)
Odds of finding an 86.24-carat white conch pearl: No others ever found
Odds of finding an 86.24-carat, gem quality white, oval conch pearl: Almost impossible
Result: The Dragon’s Egg is considered the rarest white conch pearl in the world
COLOR
Colors
\Conch pearls are found in a variety of colors ranging from white, beige, yellow, a range of pink shades, brown and chocolate.
The rarest color of conch pearls is chocolate, followed by white.
Gem-quality conch pearls are frequently oval-shaped but are found in a variety of shapes from baroque to rounded. It is extremely rare to find a perfectly spherical pearl.
A perfectly symmetrical oval like the Dragon’s Egg is the most valuable.
It is unusual to find conch pearls that exceed 2-3mm. One that exceeds 10 carats is considered exceptional. The Dragon’s Egg is 86.24
SIZE
Size
One of the largest known conch pearls is a 45-carat reddish-pink, pear-shaped gem set into a necklace worn by Elizabeth Taylor on the cover of Good Housekeeping magazine, circa 1990.
One of the largest conch pearls available for sale today (on Bond Street in London) is a 44.5-carat pink pearl ring hand-set in pink diamonds.
