pearl guide

what is a pearl?

Like other precious gems, pearls are valued because they are
beautiful and rare. However, unlike other gems, pearls are neither
rocks nor minerals. They are the creations of living creatures.

There are two basic kinds of pearls -- cultured and natural.
Both types develop identically inside living mollusks in
various waters around the world, primarily around
Japan.

A natural pearl forms when a grain of sand or other
small object penetrates the shell of an oyster and irritates
the soft inner body. Hoping to alleviate the irritation, the
oyster coats the object with layer after layer of nacre (the
same hard substance that lines its shell) until it builds a
pearl. This layering is why pearls can be peeled like onions
and why they have a unique luminosity. Light refracting
through the many layers produces the delicate surface color.