While snorkeling on the Island in October 2006, I noticed a shimmer from an iridescent shell sticking up from the sand I reached out, pulled it free, and to my surprise, it was nearly intact. Upon opening it, I discovered a small black pearl stuck to the inside. CREDIT: GIA.edu - Nacreous pen pearls (mainly Atrina species) are sometimes encountered in jewelry, though far less often than other types of pearls with more marketable color and greater durability. In recent years, however, pen pearls have become much more sought after as farmers, particularly in Indonesia, have learned to use them as nuclei for a new kind of atypical, cultured pearl (Hainschwang, 2010). These atypical bead-cultured pearls can be quite challenging for laboraÂtories to identify, though most present no real issues at the moment.
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