Surprisingly, they come in different colors — not just white — but also gray, blue, red, green, pink and even black. Growing your own pearls is a complex procedure , and takes a long time for a pearl to form, but the end result is worth it. They are beautiful to look at, and quite expensive. Pearls are harvested by carefully implanting a small piece of mantle tissue, into the oyster.
Pearl farmers may also add a bead , usually from a freshwater mussel to help provide a nucleus for the pearl. After that, the nacre starts forming in months. The speed of nacre forming is different depending on the type of mollusk which creates the material for the pearl , temperature and water cleanliness.
Pearl must be inspected regularly to check for sickness and to monitor environmental factors such as water quality, temperature and food quality for the oyster. Harvesting a pearl does not kill the oyster , and pearl farmers are extremely careful when placing a mantle or bead inside it, not to harm their oysters.
Pearls are usually harvested after one year for akoya pearl, 2—4 years for Tahitian and South Sea, and 2—7 years for Edison fres hwater pearl. Pearls grow at different rates , depending on the type of pears and a few other factors. Akoya pearl will grow up to 9mm in 10 to 14 months in diameter, a Tahitian pearl could grow 10mm in 18 to 24 months, while a South Sea pearl could reach 15mm in diameter in 2 to 3 years.
Quickly cultured pearls are lower quality because they have a too think coat of nacre, and they will wear out more quickly. Akoya pearls are the smallest types of cultured pearls on the market. For cultured pearls, we can distinguish 6 quality factors :. Most of them today are created accidentally, and are very hard to prepare in a strand or jewelry piece.
Saltwater pearls cost more than freshwater pearls , because they are many times more difficult to produce, and can only produce 1 or 2 pearls at a time. On the other claw , freshwater mussels grow up to 32 pearls per shell. Layer upon layer of this coating is deposited on the irritant until a lustrous pearl is formed. A cultured pearl undergoes the same process. The only difference is that the irritant is a surgically implanted bead or piece of shell called Mother of Pearl.
Often, these shells are ground oyster shells that are worth significant amounts of money in their own right as irritant-catalysts for quality pearls. The resulting core is, therefore, much larger than in a natural pearl. Yet, as long as there are enough layers of nacre the secreted fluid covering the irritant to result in a beautiful, gem-quality pearl, the size of the nucleus is of no consequence to beauty or durability.
Pearls can come from either salt or freshwater sources. Typically, saltwater pearls tend to be higher quality, although there are several types of freshwater pearls that are considered high in quality as well. Like many natural processes, the birth of a pearl takes time.
But when the process is complete, the result is stunning. In this piece, we'll answer all of your most pressing questions about how a pearl is formed. How Do Oysters Make Pearls? So, the real question is, how are pearls made?
In order to understand how oysters make pearls, you must understand an oyster's body composition. Oysters, which are a type of mollusk, have two shells. Each shell features a protective layer that covers the mollusk's organs. This protective layer is called the mantle, and it is responsible for safeguarding vital organs that keep the mollusk alive.
Although pearl clams and mussels exist, they are incredibly rare. N early all high-quality pearls come from oysters.
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