John,
 
I am not the one to really answer your questions about Strombus gigas, the Queen
Conch, but with all of the heavy stuff flying around right now I was afraid you
would be missed.  So here is what I know.
 
First, to prove my ignorance, I have never seen or heard of a conch pearl.  But I
can certainly envision them making one.  The Latin name as I already mentioned is
Strombus gigas (Linnaeus, 1758) and the mechanism for making a pearl certainly
exists in any shell.  It is just that you think of a mobile gastropod being able
to eliminate a particle irritant rather than having to cover it up.
 
There is at least one conch farm I know of -- at the Florida Marine Institute on
Long Key, Florida, USA.  I believe the conch rearing is headed up by Dr. Robert
Glazer and Richard Jones.  They have authored the article, "Temporal Factors
Influencing Survival of Hatchery-Raised Queen Conch Outplants."  This information
is from the most recent issue of the Jacksonville Shell Club newsletter, The
Shell-O-Gram (thanks guys).  There is also a web page with some Queen Conch
information on it but I can't seem to find it right now and there is at least one
book dedicated to them.  As for a cut-a-way view of S. gigas, I don't know.  I
have never seen one.  By the way, Belize it a marvelous place.
 
That's it!
 
Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA