There are many types of mussels which produce as many varieties of pearls, each one different from the others. The Scallop ones are produced by pectinidae family mussels, particularly by a special type called “Mano de Leon” for its strange shape which recalls a lion paw. This mussel is, conversely to the other mussels “without nacre”, a bivalve specimen.
The Paw of the Lion can be mainly found in the costal waters of Center and Nord America, above all in the Baja California Peninsula: the probabilities to find this type of pearl are so poor that a specialized scallop fisherman can only hope to find a mere handfull of them in his whole career, since they are mainly harvested for their fruct instead of the rarity of their pearl.
From their color to their particular concrection, this type of pearls is special under many aspects: the shape of these chalky concrections are usually symmetrical with oval, round or drop shapes, and a unique color which go from brown to violet, even with cases in dark purple, pink and orange.
Like the Conch ones, Scallop pearls have a particular 3D rounded effect on their reflective surface, due to the natural mechanisms of the pearl’s creation inside the mussel, which highlight even more their uniqueness.
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