mantle implant in shell for pearl culture, and how it would work with abalone

[parfaitelumiere]

Hello,

I have read for culture process, the shell has a nucleus implant, and a mantle piece is added, mantle coming from another shell, with nice pearl.
And the mantle implant becomes pearl sack, to produce pearl all around nucleus.
So if I read correctly, it mans the sack is living organism, comming from another shell, and living inside host shell right, like a graft.
I also have read for abalone it's not possible to operate becuse the animal would bleed to death.
So it means no way to make a standart round pearl using graft like in oysters.

However here are several questions, if I cut a piece of abalone mantle to put in abalone host without hurting it, the host won't die, but the mantle would bleed to death?or became a sack?
As the mantle is a part of abalone, I would think it to bleed to death injuring the host by the way.
If I do a blister process on a abalone without hurting it, there is a way to make cultured pearls from abalone, just needing care not to hurt animal?
Is there any written document about abalone culture pearl attempts?
Or maybe someone here has some informations?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

All the free (non-attached) abalone pearls I've seen photos of or read about were natural...probably because abalones are hemophiliac.

For cultured mabe/blister pearls, a dome shape (not sure what it's made of-- plastic?) is attached (screwed) to the inside of the shell of the abalone, and nacre is laid down over it. No donor mantle would be needed ...the mantle tissue of the abalone would just secrete its own nacre the way it normally does to coat the inside of its shell.
(I believe this is correct but will look it up in Strack's book to be sure).

There are already abalone cultured mabe pearls...Eyris pearls:
https://www.bluepearls.com

Several photos of Eyris pearl pendants/rings are on this forum. You can do a search for posts and threads about these using Advanced Search (click on the green box with icon of a magnifying glass at the top right of the page), select "single content type", search for keyword "Eyris" and "Show results as Posts".

 

[Pearl Dreams]

I've been reading Strack's Pearls for more information on cultured abalone pearls.

Besides the mabe pearls made with plastic nuclei she writes that there was a team researching how best to produce round abalone pearls. The nuclei used were made from freshwater MOP beads or the shells of Pinctada maxima. Strack writes, " In February 1998, a number of successfully grown pearls were shown in Tucson for the first time." (p. 618).

This book was published in 2006 in English (2001 in German) and I don't know if anyone is still producing round abalone pearls.

 

[Pearling Technologies]

Correct pearl dreams, most mabe nuclei are produced from plastic based raw materials and are typically glued to the inside of the shell. With abalone, the procedure is a little more difficult than pearl oysters as the foot of the abalone is so strong compared to the mantle of an oyster. There are various groups around the world experimenting with various techniques to produce round abalone pearls - we have supplied quite a few with specially designed tools and equipment to assist them with the process.

 

[parfaitelumiere]

I checked google picture of abalone shells, and have my own opinion about the best area, based from where most natural pearls seem to take shape, does it mean we have to use a large radius hook, with soft top to avoid animal hurting, then place the learl, or maybe even a hollow too with round top to place the pearl then remove the tool?

Is my drawing correct?

I was also thinking about another way, using a existing hole on you shell, putting a nucleus from there, then filling the hole.
However, filling the hole will probably add a new area where the shell would add pearl, so it's not a good idea.