Pearl Guide

Mother-of-Pearl Defined

Mother-of-Pearl (MOP for short) or Nacre (as it is also known) is the iridescent coating on the inside of some mollusk species which is composed of aragonite and calcite, both being calcium carbonate polymorphs. MOP also contains water and binding proteins secreted by the mollusks, the most important being conchiolin.

Mother-of-pearl is also the primary material used in pearl nucleus manufacturing. MOP beads are still the most common nucleus (core) used to produce...

Marine Pearl Farming Defined
Pearl farming is the industry responsible for growing farm-raised pearl mollusks and producing cultured pearls. These cultured pearls make up nearly 100% of the pearls sold today.

What Is Pearl Farming?

Cultured pearls are grown on what are known as pearl farms. Depending on the variety of mollusk employed at the farm, these will be located inside protected bays or in channels or in lakes, ponds or streams (for pearly freshwater mussels). In this chapter we...

The Pearl Harvest
The pearl harvest is the pay-off for years of investment and arduous work. The harvest most-often happens during the winter months as the host mollusks' metabolism slows and nacre platelets become thinner as deposition decreases. This has proven to increase the luster upon harvest.



Pearl Production Times Vary

Cultured pearls are harvested from the pearl farms after a period that may stretch from 8 months to 6 years. Akoya pearls are typically cultured from 8 months to 2...

The Proper Pearl Nucleus

A pearl nucleus is usually made using freshwater mussel shells that has been cut and ground into a polished, spherical bead. Other nuclei do exist, these have been produced from other marine shells, such as from the large black and silver-lipped pearl oysters and from Bironite TM.

Nacre Deposition will occur over any Solid Object

An oyster's "pearl sac" will secrete nacre over nearly any solid object. This has led to countless attempts to nucleate oysters with...

Manufacturing the Pearl Nucleus
The nucleus of a cultured pearl is typically manufactured from the shell of freshwater mussels. These shells are cut, shaped, and polished into perfectly round spheres. The resulting bead, called a nucleus, plays a vital role in the pearl culturing process. Although it remains hidden within the finished pearl, the nucleus is the foundation upon which the pearl forms. It serves as the core that the pearl sac uses to guide the shape of the developing pearl...

The 4000 Year History of Pearls
Pearls have been prized and collected for more than four thousand years, giving them the title of the world's oldest gem.

The Early History of Pearls
Pearls have long been treasured and highly valued in many cultures throughout history. As far back as 2,300 BC, Chinese records indicate that pearls were the prized possessions of (and gifts to) royalty. In India, ancient Hindu texts repeatedly refer to pearls, stating in one place that the god Krishna...