Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Margaret
Popularity
Prior to the introduction of cultured pearls in the 1920’s, conch pearls were as expensive as rubies, emeralds and diamonds. Then cultured pearls saturated the market.
Today, buyers understand the rarity of gem-quality conch pearls.
The current trend is toward beautiful, unique, naturally-formed stones and pearls. As a result, large, rare and beautifully-shaped conch pearls are now valued at an all-time high.
Famous Conch Pearl Owners & exhibitors
Famous People, Collectors & Museums
A few facts about those who’ve purchased, worn, exhibited and studied the remarkable world of conch pearls.
Elizabeth Taylor modeled a conch pearl necklace for a 1990 woman’s magazine cover.
Brad Pitt purchased a conch pearl from an Italian jeweler for his first wife, Jennifer Aniston.
Manuel Marcial de Gomar of Key West is a conch pearl expert who created the definitive Conch Pearl Color Description Guide, now considered an industry standard.
Renowned paleontologist Sue Hendrickson has a collection of “a few thousand conch pearls” and has been instrumental in helping these pearls garner gemstone status. She is the author of the coffee table book entitled The Pink Pearl.
The National Museum of Qatar is home to one of the world’s most outstanding conch pearl collections.
Tiffany’s Blue Book from 1894 contained pink conch shells from Florida and the West Indies.
During the Victorian Age, the Queen Mary Conch Pearl Brooch was designed by the Crown Jeweler. It contained conch pearls weighing 25 and 28 carats.
