How Oysters Make Pearls

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• Unlike most gems, which are found in mineral
  deposits deep within the surface of the Earth,
  pearls are created by mollusks like oysters,
  clams, and mussels.
• Pearls are formed by mollusks in both freshwater
  and marine environments, and oysters by far
  produce the most pearls.
• How exactly are pearls formed? Lets explore.

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• To understand how pearls are formed, we first
  need to understand the basic structure of an
  oyster.
• Oysters are bivalves, which means they have two
  valves (shells) that open and close. An elastic
  ligament holds the shells together, and the
  shells are often kept open so the oyster can eat.

The oyster has an organ called the mantle, which
produces a substance called nacre. Nacre forms
the oysters shell and also forms pearls.
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• The formation of a pearl starts when an invader
  such as a grain of sand or food particle makes
  its way into the oysters mantle.
• In order to protect itself, the oyster
  immediately begins to cover the invading particle
  with layers of nacre, which is made of aragonite
  (ah-RAG-uh-nite) and conchiolin (KON-kee-uh-lin).
  

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• The result of this layering process over time is
  a beautiful pearl. The shape and size of a pearl
  depend on the size of the mollusk and how long
  the pearl took to form.
• Most pearls are not perfectly roundin fact,
  perfectly spherical pearls are extremely rare and
  tend to fetch the most money. Pearls that are
  irregular in shape are called baroque pearls.

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• Given the rarity of naturally-formed pearls (only
  one of approximately every 10,000 mollusks will
  produce a natural pearl), most pearls today are
  cultured by pearl farmers.
• Pearl farmers simply embed a grain of sand or
  another material into the mollusk to start the
  process of pearl formation.
• To increase their chances of getting large, round
  pearls, farmers implant large, perfectly
  spherical objects in the mantle (which then
  becomes the pearls nucleus).

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• Pearls have been revered for thousands of years
  as symbols of wealth, status, and even religious
  belief.
• Archaeological evidence dating back almost 6,000
  years shows that people in the Persian Gulf
  region were sometimes buried with pearls held in
  their right hand.
• Pearls are loved today just as they were in
  ancient times in fact, pearl jewelry is more
  popular today than at any point in history.

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• Pearls come in a variety of forms, shapes, and
  colors, from both freshwater and marine
  environments. Lets take a look at the different
  types of cultured pearls.
• Akoya Pearls Saltwater cultured pearl from the
  akoya oyster. Considered the classic pearl for
  necklaces and other jewelryoften have a
  perfectly round shape and high luster.

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• Tahitian Pearls Dark and exotic. Often referred
  to as black, but can range in color from creamy
  white to green to iridescent to deep black.

White South Sea Pearls The rarest of all pearl
types, with an extended growth period and limited
area for culturing. They range in color from
optic white to deep honey gold.
Golden South Sea Pearls Large and valuable
pearls. Warm and completely natural golden tones
ranging from yellow to champagne.
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• Its not hard to understand the enduring
  popularity of pearls.
• Their iridescent glow and wide color range make
  these versatile gems beautiful both as the focal
  point of pearl earrings, pearl necklaces, and
  pearl pendants, and as a complement to other gems
  and precious metals in jewelry pieces.
• Pearls have a timeless beauty that will
  undoubtedly continue long into the future.

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