On Feb. 27, 2020, this genuine Black Tahitian South Sea Cultured Pearl flew to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray balloon. Soaring more than 100,000 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California, it experienced temperatures as low as -63 C and air pressures less than 0.5% of sea level--quite a change from Tahiti!  The pearl's 2 hour flight ended when the balloon exploded, as planned. The payload parachuted back to Earth, landing in the Eureka Valley on the outskirts of Death Valley National Park. The pearl had a wild ride and the students got great data for their cosmic ray monitoring program.
 
Measuring 10 mm in diameter, the pearl has an 18K white gold clasp and is suspended from a matching 925 Sterling Silver chain. It exhibits a range of iridescent colors in bright sunlight. Each pearl comes with a greeting card showing the pendant in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space.