Fine pearls

Fine pearls have always been considered as treasured gems – from ancient civilizations until the modern ages. They can either be natural or cultured.

In nature, this occurs when an irritant enters the shell of the mollusk. Contrary to popular opinion, the irritant is not really a grain of sand but, more often than not, is a parasite.

The natural response of the mollusk is to create a sac made of epithelial cells around the irritant. The mollusk then secretes a substance which is called nacre. The inner lining of the mollusk’s shell is actually made of the same substance, which is crystalline in nature.

The nacre then builds up in layers around the sac. The result is a fine pearl that is sought for by many people around the world.

See also

• Types of pearls
• Pearl harvesting

Fine pearls

Natural pearls are those which are formed in the “wild” or naturally. However, the truth is that only a very small percentage of mollusks in the wild produce pearls. Of that small percentage, an even smaller fraction is actually harvested. That is why natural pearls are quite rare and are even more treasured. Pearls that are produced naturally are almost never perfectly round. In fact, natural pearls almost always have an irregular shape.

Culture pearls came about because of the rarity of natural pearls. If humans relied on natural pearls, perhaps only the richest people in the world would be able to afford them. As such, the development of cultured pearls was most welcome. This feat can be attributed to Japanese scientists, who were able to introduce an irritant into a mollusk’s shell and, by returning the creature into the sea, were able to develop cultured pearls. Cultured pearls can either be saltwater or freshwater, depending on where the mollusks are located while the pearl is being developed.

Pearl farms

It takes 8 months to 6 years to develop saltwater pearls before harvesting while it takes 2 to 6 years for freshwater pearls.

Winter is usually the time when pearls are harvested from pearl farms. This is due to the fact that during winter, the mollusk produces less nacre. Once harvested, the pearls are cleaned and polished and sent on to become fine pearl jewelry.