The tenth pearl coin edition shows a pearl in a sea snail for the first time.Many think of pearls primarily being found in  shells. What most people don’t know is that, in extremely rare cases, this small miracle of nature is also found in snails, for example, in the Queen Conch (lat. Lobatus gigas). These animals can grow up to a remarkable size of 30 cm, with a shell of over 2,5 kg and are able to reach an age of 20 to 30 years. They main-ly feed on algae. Queen Conches are found throughout the Caribbean and along the coast of Florida and northern Brazil in shallow waters up to 18 metres deep.

The Queen Conch pearls only very seldomly grow naturally.  However, after several years of research pearl breeders succeeded in inserting a foreign body into these animals. Just like in the shell, the sea dweller encases the foreign body layer by layer, through natural defence mechanism. The snail, which is a protected species, is not injured or killed in the process. Especially in the Caribbean, the Queen Conchs’ flesh is considered a delicacy and its wonderful shell is a popular souvenir. It is for these reasons that the population has declined dramatically in recent years. It is to be hoped that this beautiful sea dweller remains preserved for future generations.