Living-shelled mollusks or other animals, such as fossil conulariids produce hard, glistening objects known as pearls within their soft tissue. Like the mollusk shell, Pearls consist of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form deposited in concentric layers.
People have highly valued natural pearls as gemstones and objects of beauty for centuries, especially those of the finest quality. As a result, the term “pearl” has become a metaphor for something that is rare, fine, admirable, and valuable.
How long does it take for a pearl to form?
The process of pearl formation takes a minimum of 6 months. Typically, pearls are left to grow for at least a year to achieve a decent size. While pearls can be harvested as early as 6 months, allowing them to cultivate for longer increases the likelihood of producing a large, high-quality pearl.
How are pearls created?
How pearls are formed naturally? Living mollusks with shells, such as oysters, mussels, clams, scallops, and sea snails, produce pearls.
The mollusk secretes fluid containing aragonite (a mineral) and conchiolin (a protein) when an irritant, such as a piece of food, a grain of sand, bacteria, a parasite, or a piece of the mollusk’s mantle, gets trapped in the mollusk’s shell.
This substance, also known as mother-of-pearl or nacre, continuously covers the irritant. These nacre layers combine to create a pearl over time.
How are black pearls made?
When an irritant becomes lodged in the membrane of a particular species of oyster, the Tahitian black-lipped Pinctada margaritifera, which has a black band in its shell, black pearls are produced.
The oyster isolates the irritant by developing layers of nacre, a material similar to mother-of-pearl that can take on the shell’s dark coloring.
What makes pearls different colors?
The pearls can have different colors depending on where they form in the oyster.
Why do oysters make pearls?
Pearls are created by oysters as a protective response to an unknown substance. This happens when an outside substance contacts the oyster’s mantle after entering the shell.
References:
How are Pearls Formed? How Long Does It Take for a Pearl to Form?
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