Global Gemology is an NAJA Accredited Gemological Laboratory. All gem and jewelry items have been examined by a Graduate Gemologist (GG), Certified Master Appraiser (CMA), Registered Gemologist Appraiser (RGA), and Applied Jewelry Professional (AJP).
ABOUT THE ITEM
Melo melo pearls are amongst the rarest gems in the world. They're created by the Indian Volute (also known as the zebra snail or Melo Melo): an extremely large marine gastropod from the Volutidae family, found in Southeastern Asian waters. These large melo snails inhabit shallow waters off the coasts of Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. Natural melo melo pearls are produced when an irritant, such as a parasite, enters the mollusk. As a defense mechanism, the snail will coat the irritant with a calcium carbonate over time producing a porcelaneous, non-nacreous pearl. The finest melo pearls are an intense orange color with visible flame structure. This flame-like or silk-like appearance is due to a phenomena known as chatoyancy.
This absolutely gorgeous, one-of-a-kind 18 karat yellow gold ring features an extremely rare 10.26 carat natural melo melo pearl accented by baguette and pavé-set round brilliant cut diamonds. The melo melo pearl has a very attractive yellowish orange color with visible flame patterning.
