Pearls that Really Aren’t: The Conch and the Melo Melo “Pearl”
Things are not always as they seem. This is especially true for the conch pearl and the melo melo pearl, two types of gemstones that arent really pearls at all. Confusing? Yes, as these pearls resemble true pearls in more ways than one. Both the melo melo and the conch pearl are rare natural gems produced in marine animals; are referred to as pearls; look like pearls, and are used to create beautiful jewelry. So why arent they pearls? And if they arent true pearls than what the heck are they?
Non-nacreous pearls
Interestingly, not all pearls are made of nacre, the combination of aragonite (calcium carbonate) and conchiolin that is secreted from a mollusk and layered together to form what scientists call a nacreous pearl. Some marine animals, like the Queen conch and the melo melo sea snail, produce gorgeous gems made up of non-nacreous calcium carbonate. Calcite, rather than aragonite, is the primary material here. (This material, by the way, is said to be similar to the stuff that produces kidney stones in humans.)
Because they are non-nacreous, the conch pearl and the...
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