Pearls

A pearl is a hard, shiny sphere of crystallized calcium carbonate. Pearls are made in live mollusks, especially in oysters, but also in mussels.

A pearl is formed in a mollusk as a defense mechanism. When a foreign substance enters the shell, the oyster coats it to protect itself from it.

Pearls created in the wild are extremely rare. It is estimated that only 1 in 15000 wild oysters would contain a pearl. Therefore, almost all pearls are cultured. To do this, a small grain is placed inside the oyster. Around that, it then makes a pearl. After two years or more, the pearl can be "harvested.

Japan is the traditional pearl country par excellence. This is also where the cultivation process was perfected.

The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth. Most pearls are white or, to a lesser extent, black in color.