While traditional pearls glow with luster, conch pearls burn with an inner flame. They appear by chance inside the Queen Conch (Lobatus gigas), a large marine mollusk found throughout the Caribbean. They don’t have orient, and they don’t grow in concentric layers like other pearls. Their vivid color and flame-like surface make them easy to recognize—and exceptionally rare.

The Conch's spiral shell and physical sensitivity make traditional pearl grafting techniques impossible to apply. In the early 2000s, researchers from the Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch succeeded in culturing conch pearls, but commercial production efforts are still in their infancy.

Conch meat and shells have played an important role in Caribbean culture for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years. The Queen Conch thrives in warm, shallow waters that are typically easy to reach, making it a dependable source of both food and shell. Because conch pearls are so rare, people don’t collect shells with the intention of finding them. They're discovered accidentally, by fisherman or processors while removing the meat from the shells.

Since most fishing boats are small, the meat is typically removed onboard and the shells discarded at sea to reduce weight. As a result, millions of conch shells litter the ocean floor. Larger vessels often retain the shells for the local and tourist markets, as well as for export to Asia, where they are carved and used in jewelry and other decorative products.

Conch pearls gained popularity in the 1800s and were especially favored during the Victorian and Art Nouveau periods. Jewelers were drawn to their pastel hues and set them in floral, insect, and other nature-inspired motifs. Modern designs tend to be bolder, especially when they feature exceptional pearls.