Tridacna, or the fluted giant clam, is an organic gemstone that belongs to the subfamily of giant clams and is found mainly in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific Ocean. The shell is characterized by delicate fluted edges that make it look like a large tire ran over the shell.
“Hetian Jade” of the Ocean
Of all the shellfish gems, Tridacna is considered the most beautiful. The shell is hard and thick. After polishing, the texture is fine, the luster is soft, and it is as white as jade. It has been called the “Hetian jade from the ocean.” Some shells have undergone qualitative changes after being deposited for thousands of years, and have become the rare “Jade-like Shell.” Its crystal-clear texture is very close to the high-quality of mutton-fat white jade.
This clam is found in many colors, the most common is the white clam. The high-quality white clam is pure and known as “the whitest substance in the world.” In addition to the beautiful white clam, there are also mixed-color clams with white and brownish yellow, as well as extremely rare red clams, pink clams and purple clams.
Health Benefits
Clams are bathed in the energy of the sea all the year round. They can be nurtured on the seabed for thousands of years or tens of thousands of years. The energy is very powerful. Wearing clam products often can eliminate disasters, exorcise evil spirits, and bring peace and auspiciousness. In Buddhism, clams are an auspicious object that can reach the spirit of Heaven and Earth and are listed as one of the Seven Treasures. Clams may be used in malas or for a dharma instrument, which is conducive to unlocking inner wisdom and concentration, and obtaining incredible spiritual power and inspiration.
In addition, the clam also has a very high medicinal value. Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) and Overseas Materia Medica (Haiyao Bencao) state that Tridacna has the effects of cooling blood, lowering blood pressure, calming the nerves and calming panic, as well as eliminating a sore throat and herpes in children. Modern medicine has found that the composition of Tridacna is similar to that of pearls. Grinding it into powder and using it as medicine can increase metabolism, promote anti-aging, prevent osteoporosis, and have very good overall effects on health.
For Sale by the Gram
Tridacna has been a very popular organic gem throughout the ages. In ancient times, people who could own products made from it were either rich or of noble status, and many top-quality clams were worshipped or treasured by the emperors.
Today, the beautiful clam is very rare. Due to marine pollution, the clam’s environment has been destroyed, resulting in a sharp decrease in the number of clams. In addition, the growth cycle of the clam shell is long, and the harvesting speed is now faster than the growth speed, making the clams even rarer. Nowadays, in order to protect the clam shells, the harvesting of live clam shells has been banned and most of the products circulating in the market are ancient clam products or clam fossil products with very little reserves. Because of the large demand and low reserves, the price of Tridacna has been rising year by year, and has now reached the state of being sold by the gram.
