Nine Pearls

The Nine Pearls, sometimes known as the Nava Moti, are a group of sacred gemstones described in the Vedic text known as the Garuda Purana.

The nine are enumerated as the Oyster Pearl, Conch Pearl, Cobra Pearl, Boar Pearl, Elephant Pearl, Bamboo Pearl, Whale Pearl, Fish Pearl, and Cloud Pearl. These gems were later documented in the treatise Brihat-Samhita ("The Great Compilation") of Varahamihira, the Indian mathematician.

The first documented contact with these artifacts by the Western world is described in the sole volume of 18th Century scientist Albertus Seba, entitled Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. In the volume, a large collection of Bezoar stones and non-oyster pearls were hand-sketched, and the collection of these items were on display in a forum which was the precursor of the modern day museum.

All of these pearls presented on various websites are fake. Many people have fallen prey to such fake claims, and have sold their house, property and gone bankrupt. In fact, on many of these websites the nine pearls as well as other supposedly natural pearl-like artifacts are all made from the same sort of material. Geographically, the pearls are most likely to be found in Indonesia, whether fake or real, where fake pearls are used in much the same way as Christmas decorations. Considered cultural objects that are only meant to mimic the real objects, Indonesians pay very little for the fake pearls, but there are a number of online companies that sell these fake pearls for large sums of money. When it comes to the Cloud Pearl, for example, there are probably less than forty existing worldwide but the high volume sold online suggests there is a seemingly endless supply. The Cloud Pearl and the other eight pearls are truly amazing and beautiful cultural objects that may become unavailable in the very near future based on the disappearance in the environment, except those that are in the possession of museums and collectors.

Today, the original 446-plate volume, part of the greater work Locupletissimi Rerum Naturalium Thesauri Accurata Descriptio, is on permanent exhibition at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in The Hague, Netherlands.

Conch Pearl

Conch Pearl

A Conch Pearl is formed rarely within the mantle of any of a wide variety of species within the greater Conch family. The colors vary from white to pink to yellow to a deep reddish tone. The shapes vary greatly, and no two Conch Pearls are alike, making a matching pair an exceedingly difficult (and expensive) proposition. Efforts to culture conch pearls commercially have not been successful to date. The formation is not nacreous. It is very difficult to find a round Conch pearl, or any Conch pearl above 2 carats (400 mg).

Cobra Pearl

The cobra pearl is a mythological type of pearl. They are obtained from the hood of cobras over the age of 100. Cobra pearls are typically egg-shaped and translucent, transparent, or semi-translucent; roughly 2 cm length, 2 cm diameter and weighing about 5 grams, appearing in a range of colors (golden, green, red, blue, pink, white, black). They are supposed to be slightly radiant. It may also be called NaagMani in Hindi or Nagamani in Telugu. There are many myths linked with serpents, especially the Cobra. People believe the hood of an old cobra carries a Pearl that radiates light even in the dark, and bestows luck and great fortune on whoever possesses them. True Cobra stones are rare to find, as the life of cobra in captivity is around 20-30 years. Prof. Hensoldt PhD ^[1], who had personally seen the cobra pearl in Sri Lanka under natural conditions and researched on a few pieces he owned. He found the stone to be made of a mineral called Chlorophane, a rare variety of Fluorite. Cobras are perhaps the only serpents which eat insects and have preference for fire-flies because they can be easily caught at night. Cobras use Chlorophane as decoys to attract the fire-flies. The brightness of Nagamani is measured in inches. In the Black market, it was known that a Nagamani with 32 inches of brightness costs about Rs. 30 crores.

Notes

1. ^ The New York Times, March 9, 1890

Boar Pearl

Boar Pearl

Another type of mythological pearl. Found in the heads of very old boars. A Boar Pearl is typically dark colored, marble-sized, in an uneven but smooth spherical non-porous surface, both opaque and partially translucent.

Elephant Pearl

Elephant Pearl

The elephant pearl is found within the cavity of elephant tusks and is a rare bony growth. It is not an actual pearl. Some varieties of Elephant Pearl are made up of a heavy dark brown substrate, while others are heavy balls, of varying colors, about the size of a Brain Coral, often with a hemispheric division.

Bamboo Pearl

Bamboo Pearl

Found in the stomaches of animals that eat bamboo, bamboo pearls are round or oblong, size maximum 1.4" some off-white, rough and dry, resembling camphor crystals in color and texture, others are golden or a flowing green reminiscent of other minerals.

justlike fruit of neem, green and choloform colour. minium size 20mm.longx 6mm round

Whale Pearl

Whale Pearl

Whale Pearls are a type of bezoar found in marine animals. They appear rough-textured in a variegated pattern formation, moderately translucent, and about the size of a small egg. Several types of Whale Pearl have been observed, varying in texture.

Fish Pearl

Fish Pearl

Fish Pearls are bezoars found in various fish. They appear rough-textured with variegated pattern formations, moderately translucent, and about the size of a large marble. Several types of Fish Pearl have been observed, varying only in color (i.e. pink, white with a yellow-pink tint and light green with stratification) and texture.

Cloud Pearl

Cloud Pearl

Cloud Pearls are a mythological type of pearl, said to have fallen out of the sky. They are traditionally known as approximating the size and shape of a chicken egg, with a translucent blue color, and having a distinct spiral running from bottom to top of outside surface area.