King Crab Pearl?

by Kim Brummett
(Pearland, TX USA)

King Crab Pearl?

King Crab Pearl?

I purchased a box of King Crab Legs at the local Grocery Store for my son and I because they were having a great sale and we both love King Crab. When we got home, I steamed them up and we were enjoying every buttery bite until I bit down on something very hard. I pulled it out of my mouth and couldn't figure out if it was some type of bone or grizzle or maybe even a pearl. I played with it for a while and determined that it might be a pearl, although, I didn't think Crabs made pearls so I looked on the internet and came across this site. Apparently, it could actually be a pearl so I sat it aside until I could get a picture and upload to get the opinion of others. If it's not a pearl then what is it? When I first saw it, it was a lavender color but as it dried it became more whitish in color.


Please let me know if you think it's a pearl. I know it's probably not worth much but any idea? I figure if anything it's a great conversational piece.

Kim B.
Pearland, TX

Comments for King Crab Pearl?

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Jan 27, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Special but not technically a pearl
by: Kari

Thanks for sharing about your king crab pearl. It is common to call these pearls, even if they are not technically pearls.

Pearl expert, Hubert Bari, says this about them:
"In principle, they are made of the same material as the carapace of the crabs.
Mostly an organique compound close the the "nails" material or the chitine
within the insects, scarabs etc... I saw one formed inside the brain of a fish,
same composition as the fish scales."

And Kim, you are right about them not being worth much more than a conversation piece.

Interesting town you are from...Pearland!

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Crab Pearls.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.