Abalone pearls

Does anybody know if there's a market for these things?  I've seen earrings and necklaces dressed up with  gold or silver made out of them.  They were pertty expensive too.  The reason I'm asking is because I just found a BIG one! To big for any earrings or necklace. More for a belt buckle or something. I thought it might be worth some dough.  Any ideas on what I could do with it would be cool.  I'll post pics this evening. Thanks

Lets see it!

The folks who run the ab farm in Davenport make them into necklaces & sell 'em. My wife has one she got there as a pendant. As jewelry, I'm sure someone would want it.

I'm told that big ones are worth quite a bit.  Take it to a jeweler or something.

When I get home for work tonight I'll post some pics.  I took it to a jeweler today but he kind of down played it saying since it was some big he couldn't use it for nothing.  He did say it wasn't worthless and I shouldn't get rid of it. 

Maybe you should talk to fishim (Mark), he could probably give you the scoop on its worth.  By the way he created the belt buckle trophy for Bendo at Mendo!!!

Here's some pics.  I think it might of been a mussel shell at one time.  What do you guys think?

Where in the abalone did you find it?

It was inside the gut.  I always check for pearls but this time it was pertty obvious.  Its not the prettiest I've seen but definitely the biggest.

that is a big pearl. i have seen one close to that size and it was all pearled over with no pits or white left on it. is that white or is that just the flash thats reflecting off of it?

don't forget though, selling of any or part of abalone is illegal because it is a sport taken animal. people have been busted selling abalone shells.

good find, i bet it could be worth a lot overseas too.

JGP's advice on this is good and true.

It's a big one!  I think it would've grown between some soft flesh and the main shell - the blackish edges indicate where it was up against other shell structure.  I've seen them like that before.  I once took some really awesome pearls - one the shape of a shark's tooth about 1" with great colors - to a couple of jewelers in Eureka and I got the cold shoulder.  I found out that the bottom line is having someone who wants to buy it...  The shark's tooth and a few others belonged to a friend, and none of my cool, colored, round pearls the size of beebees up to peas got any kind of second look from the jewelers.  I have several around, but I've lost most of the ones I've found over the years.

Hold onto it - maybe it'll be some crazy form of currency in post global warming world!   

It does look like a mussel shell. Don't know. I've seen abalone jewelry before and I don't know if it's legal. If I know the DFG though, I'm sure it's illegal to sell sport caught anything.

Check with Mark,fishshim, or bring it to the MLPA meeting in Gualala on Oct 16 and 17 and show it to a guy named Richard Lewis.  He is also a jewler and may be able to shed some light on it for you.  There was a post on spearboard.com, california section many months ago about ab pearls and value.  You might try looking there.
Dave

It is pertty sweet and I feel very lucky to have found it. Thanks for all the advice and input guys and thanks for the website info Bigeyedave.