I have in front of me (pag. 19, "Guides des Coquillages des Antilles") a
picture of a necklace made of Strombus gigas pearls ("Perles en lambis,
Collection Desjardins, Guadeloupe"); please note that in Gaudeloupe "Lambi"
is "Strombus Gigas", not "Lambis"!
They are white and pink, not perfectly regular; no explanation in the text.
 
Sandro (from Italy, recently in Guadeloupe)
 
 
-----Messaggio originale-----
 
 
>The idea of getting S. gigas to produce pearls seems improbable to me.
>Pearls are produced because the oyster cannot (easily?) expel the
irritating
>nucleus whatever it is.  That should be a general weakness of bivalves but
>not gastropods which move so much more readily with respect to their
shells.
>Wouldn't the conch simply expel the irritant?
>