| Pearls are formed by a few species of
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| | returned to the lake. The mantle tissue
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| mollusks (oysters, clams, mussels) and
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| | forms a 'pearl sac' and the resulting
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| even a couple of snails. It starts when
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| | pearl is harvested in about 3 years. Each
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| an irritant gets into the mollusk. If the
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| | mussel produces many pearls. The mussel
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| irritant or parasite cannot be ejected it
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| | can also be harvested a second time 2 or
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| is slowly surrounded by a substance
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| | 3 years later.
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| called nacre (pronounced NAY-ker). The
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| | Each species of oyster or mussel will
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| nacre is produced by the mantle tissue
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| | create a characteristic form of pearl and
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| which produces two substances a protein
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| | the quality of the pearls depends on a
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| and aragonite a six sided flat crystal.
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| | variety of factors, most important of
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| Together these are called nacre. It coats
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| | these are the cleanliness of the water
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| the inside of the shell and any other
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| | and its temperature
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| foreign object in the shell. The nacre
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| | Pearls have been found in the Red Sea and
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| accumulates in layers and builds up over
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| | the Gulf of Hormuz (now the Persian Gulf)
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| time. This is how the foreign object
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| | for the last 6,000 years. These two
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| becomes a pearl.
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| | bodies of water lie on either side of
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| That is the readers digest version of
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| | Arabia and have provided pearls to both
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| pearl creation. Actually its a lot more
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| | Europe and Asia. Other ancient sources of
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| complex. Sometimes the foreign object is
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| | pearls are the gulf of Mannar between the
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| a living parasite that kills the oyster
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| | Island of Sri Lanka and India, the warm
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| before it can be ejected. Other times the
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| | waters of southeast Asia, and most of
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| object may attach to the inside of the
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| | Polynesia. Pearls were sought after by
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| shell and nacre formation cements it to
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| | rich and powerful people throughout the
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| the shell creating a 'blister or button
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| | Far East. Arabia was a major source of
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| pearl. Most mollusks will produce a
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| | small baroque (uneven or oddly shaped)
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| concretion that does not contain nacre
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| | pearls, most of which were traded to
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| and that has no gem value, they are
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| | Europe or India, but Pearls were not
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| commonly dark brown or purplish.
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| | generally popular on the Arabian
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| All in all the creation of a fine natural
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| | peninsula.
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| pearl is extremely rare. Only 1 in 10,000
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| | One pearl necklace found in China comes
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| oysters will produce a pearl. Most
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| | from a royal tomb and dates to 608 A.D.
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| natural pearls are referred to as seed
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| | This is a rare find. Most of the pearl
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| pearls due to their small size and
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| | jewelry we know of from this period comes
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| irregular appearance. Truly fine large
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| | from royal portraits and very few of
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| pearls are remarkably rare. They command
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| | these have survived. Pearls were most
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| enormous prices and were worth a hundred
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| | popular from the17th century to the end
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| times their weight in rubies or diamonds
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| | of the 19th century. The Manchu dynasty
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| before the advent of cultured pearls.
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| | was especially fond of pearls and
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| The Chinese knew that pearls could be
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| | believed the finest ones came from the
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| made by the 1300s but did not expand on
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| | fresh water mussels of Manchuria, their
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| this for commerce, rather they made the
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| | ancestral homeland. One portrait shows a
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| occasional pearl buddha. A small
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| | Manchu lady wearing an elaborate
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| limestone carving of a buddha would be
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| | headdress with strands of pearls hanging
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| placed in an oyster and allowed to grow
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| | down from the sides. The communist
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| for several years. The oyster would then
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| | revolution at the beginning of the 20th
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| be harvested and the pearl buddha
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| | century made jewelry unfashionable in
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| collected as a miracle.
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| | China, but that is changing since the
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| Cultured pearls were first developed for
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| | death of Mao and the easing of communist
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| commercial purposes in Japan about 100
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| | rule.
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| years ago by the Mikimoto Company.
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| | The story is a little different in India
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| Kokichi Mikimoto spent many years
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| | where pearls appear in paintings in
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| developing the techniques beginning in
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| | abundance. These paintings, "Persian
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| 1893 and this became commercially viable
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| | Miniatures" are finely detailed and were
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| by 1905. By 1912 European Pearl sellers
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| | used as official records of the
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| asked the courts in London and Paris to
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| | participants at many royal ceremonies.
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| ban the sale of Japanese cultured pearls,
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| | Each shows a small but very accurate
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| but scientist proved that their formation
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| | portrait (including clothing) of each
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| is essentially identical to natural
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| | person at a particular ceremony.
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| pearls.
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| | These miniatures were most popular
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| Cultured pearls are given a helping hand.
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| | beginning in the 1600s, during the Mogul
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| The oysters are raised on farms and after
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| | period, and many pieces of jewelry from
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| 5 or six years of growth they are removed
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| | this period survive in private
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| from their beds. Skilled workers, mostly
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| | collections and in museums. One of the
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| women, carefully open each oyster and
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| | most popular styles of pearl jewelry was
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| insert a mother of pearl bead and a piece
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| | long strands of matched pearls with ruby
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| of mantle tissue into the shell. With
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| | and emerald accents.
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| luck one oyster in three will survive the
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| | Pearls and precious stones were worn by
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| procedure and produce a cultured pearl.
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| | both men and women in the Mogul Court. In
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| Nacre accumulates quite slowly in
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| | fact India was both a source and a
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| Japanese waters and it takes about 3
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| | trading center for pearls and gems. The
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| years for a millimeters worth of nacre to
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| | lavish use of pearls was both an ornament
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| accumulate and form a cultured pearl.
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| | and a statement of power. Pearls and
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| Some pearl farms in the southern waters
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| | colored stones were worn as jewelry, sewn
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| from Burma to Australia can boast of a
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| | onto clothing, mounted into sword belts
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| faster nacre buildup, in some cases up to
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| | and armor, and added to to nearly every
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| 3 millimeters a year.
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| | decorative item you could imagine.
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| Freshwater pearls are produced by yet
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| | Indians considered the pearl to represent
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| another method. Several species of
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| | the moon as a symbol of perfection. The
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| mussels in Lake Biwa in Japan are farm
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| | only gem more popular was the diamond.
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| raised. After a years growth they are
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| | While the Mogul court no longer exists,
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| notched in many places along the edges of
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| | pearls continue to be popular throughout
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| the shell, a piece of mantle tissue is
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| | India and southeast Asia.
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| placed in each notch and the mussel is
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