steinkern pearls

[clay]

Does anyone know about steinkerns having pearl-like things inside?  I can see how this might be possible but . . . . I don't want to hammer into any of mine until I'm sure I might fine something. 

[Spoons]

To my knowledge, steinkerns are formed when sediment fills all the void spaces in a shell, then the shell erodes away leaving behind the mold of the internal living space of the animal. In that case wouldn't our potential fossilized pearl be swept away by the same forces that filled the shell up? You'd also want to be sure that the steinkern your opening belonged to animal that filter fed. Probably no pearls to be found in gastropods steinkerns no matter how many of 'em you decide to whack.

[caldigger]

I think her "tags" do point towards bivalve steinkerns.

[fossilnut]

2 hours ago, Spoons said:

belonged to animal that filter fed.

Pearls are produced by mollusks that create their shell material and also defensive material e.i.pearls. So bivalves, cephalopods and gastropods can produce pearls. @clayA few years back I found blister pearls in Quahog/ Mercenaria shells andmy wife found blister pearls in a Giant Atlantic cockle shell at North Myrtle Beach. As Spoons said I don't think you are going to find any in steinkerns of cuccullea or ark shells.

[Mahnmut]

10 hours ago, fossilnut said:

Pearls are produced by mollusks that create their shell material and also defensive material e.i.pearls. So bivalves, cephalopods and gastropods can produce pearls. @clayA few years back I found blister pearls in Quahog/ Mercenaria shells andmy wife found blister pearls in a Giant Atlantic cockle shell at North Myrtle Beach. As Spoons said I don't think you are going to find any in steinkerns of cuccullea or ark shells.

Are blister pearls the ones that are attached to the shell itself?

In that case there should be a chance to find them as steinkern also. But finding a thing that is already rare in itself as a fossil would be quite lucky indeed.

Best Regards,

J

[fifbrindacier]

I don't know what your pearls look like, but it could be a calcite grape where the crystals look like little balls.

[fossilnut]

@MahnmutPlease see my post "Blister Pearls of 12/7/17"  @fifbrindacierI can't always tell to whom a comment is directed. But see my post on "Blister Pearls" The pictures will clearly show these are not "calcite grape"

[Mahnmut]

Ok, I see. Sorry, I didn´t know the term blister pearl. From an initial online search I could not distinguish if it describes any pearl with an irregular shape or just the ones that grow connected to the shell.

I think I also misunderstood the initial question. On the one hand any deformation on the shell, including pearls, could be molded onto a steinkern. If on the other hand the original material of a loose pearl is to be expected inside a steinkern is yet another question. Both possible, and both rare and lucky.

Best Regards,

J

 

[fossilnut]

@claysee 9/9/2018 post by frank8149 "pcnodonte oyster pearl or growth" Abyssunder quotes an article ending "in the fossil record these pearls can be preserved as pits on internal moulds (steinkerns)." It seems possible but very rare to see evidence of (blister) pearls on the surface of a steinkern but the likelyhood of finding a free form pearl by breaking open steinkerns IMHO is nil. I have collected a number of cuccullaea's but never noticed any evidence of pearls. After the 2017 blister pearl finds at NMB, I have turned over quahogs each year and never found any pearl formations. Must have been a specific layer of shells that were infested withe irritants. Keep looking persistence may win out. I have found blister pearls in Panopea shells from the Miocene of Maryland.

[clay]

Thanks everybody!  Now I'll quit threatening my cuccullaea's!