from the December 2011 Issue - The Jewelry Appraiser - A Publication of The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers
I have great pleasure in supporting the proposal, that lapidary work, utilising the shell derived from the Crassostrea Virginica Mollusc shell, has every right to the descriptive term “gemstone”, and its proposed gemstone name: LaPearlite, a well conceived idea.
Raw, fried, char-grilled, simmered in creamy soup – we typically think of Louisiana oysters in terms of the best way to eat them, but enterprising entrepreneurs in the state are finding myriad uses for the luscious bivalve that extend beyond the plate.
New Orleans gemologist Anne Dale is putting Louisiana oysters on the map with her trademarked LaPearlite™ cabochon cut gemstones made from hand-cut, polished oyster shells. In August 2011, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed a bill declaring LaPearlite™ the Official Louisiana Gemstone.