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Tiffany Queen PearlTiffany Queen Pearl was found only 17 miles from Tiffany & Co.
Doubtless the most famous pearl ever found within the limits of the United States, and likewise one of the choicest, is the well-known "Queen Pearl," found in Notch Brook near Paterson, New Jersey, in 1857. ("Gems and Precious Stones of North America," New York, 1892, Pl. VIII, P.229.) In form it is a perfect sphere, and weighs ninety-three grains. The history of the discovery and of the sale of this beautiful gem is written about in "The Book of the Pearl" by Kunz and Stevenson. Read about it here. At the Pearls a Natural History exhibit that is traveling the world, I saw a small shell from New Jersey which had written on it, "This is the shell that a $1,000 pearl was found in." (Or something close to that.) I'm not sure it was this pearl...but for sure one similar. I was surprised at the small size of this shell. If you have dreams of going to Notch Brook to search for pearls, I've read that it is now dried up....sorry. But hey...there are lots of other brooks in the USA.
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