THE - PEARL

A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. . Cultured or farmed pearls from pearl oysters and freshwater mussels make up the majority of those currently sold.

Pearls are made by marine oysters and freshwater mussels as a natural defence against an irritant such as a parasite entering their shell or damage to their fragile body. The oyster or mussel slowly secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin, materials that also make up its shell. 

  Pearls have organic origins. They form within various species of freshwater and saltwater mollusks. Simply put, pearls are gems but not stones.

 Pearls are the Only Gemstone to Come from a Living Creature. Despite being classified as a gemstone, pearls differ significantly from all others (including sapphires, rubies, emeralds, etc.) due to the fact that they are the only gems to come from a living creature.

Natural pearls are those that have occurred in wild oysters, whereas cultured pearls are those that have been engineered by humans to occur in farmed oysters. Both are the outcome of killing.  99.99% of pearls sold are cultured. To obtain cultured pearls, pearl oysters are specially bred in farms.

The value of a pearl can vary dramatically depending on many factors, such as its type, size, color, surface quality, and more. A wild pearl will be worth more than a cultured pearl. However, on average, a pearl's value ranges from $300 to $1500.

  In the past decade, Japan, French Polynesia and China have been the three major marine pearl producing countries, but over 98% of pearls produced worldwide are freshwater pearls from China . Annual output of Chinese pearls averaged 3540 t of which freshwater pearls accounted for 99.5%.

 A natural pearl (often called an Oriental pearl) forms when an irritant works its way into a particular species of oyster, mussel, or clam. As a defense mechanism, the mollusk secretes a fluid to coat the irritant. Layer upon layer of this coating is deposited on the irritant until a lustrous pearl is formed.

 Once the irritant has been planted, how long does it take for a pearl to form? Some pearls can develop in a period of six months. Larger pearls can take up to four years to develop.

 PEARL is often considered a gemstone, although it is not a mineral. Rather, pearl is a composite of the mineral Aragonite (Calcium Carbonate) and the organic compound conchiolin (a protein). The combination is called nacre, or mother-of-pearl

Largest  Pearl.

 
The Pearl of Lao Tzu (also referred to as Pearl of Lao Tze) was once considered the largest known pearl. The pearl was found in the Palawan sea, which surrounds the island of Palawan in the Philippines, and was found by a Filipino diver.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Most Expensive Pearls in the World

• #7 The Pearl of Lao Tzu – $3.5 million. 
• #6 Double Strand Pearls Necklace – $3.7 million. 
• #5 The Big Pink Pearl – $4.7 million. 
• #4 Cowdray Pearls – $5.3 million. 
• #3 The Baroda Pearl Necklace – $7.1 million. 
• #2 La Peregrina Pearl – $11.8 million. 
• #1 Beauty Of Ocean Pearl – $139 million.
  

 You can find one online or through a travel agency. Some pearl diving companies let you dive for naturally grown pearls. Others are part of a farming operation. You'll have better luck finding pearls with farming operations, but you likely won't get as much diving time.

Japan is the acknowledged leader in Akoya pearl production – known to produce the best, most consistently beautiful Akoya pearls in the world. SIZES: Akoya pearls range in size from 2.0-3.0mm up through 9.0-9.5mm, and very rarely, 9.5-10.0mm.