Saturday, August 8, 2009

History of Pearls

A natural gem, pearls are shaped inside mollusks such as oysters and mussels. They are produced when an irritant such as a tiny rock or bit of sand gets within the mollusk's shell. A shiny substance, called nacre, is secreted around the thing to protect the soft interior surface of the mollusk. As layer upon outside layer of nacre coats the nuisance, a pearl is created. Glow that is reflected starting these overlapping layers produces a quality iridescent luster. This method of building a solid pearl can obtain up to seven or eight years.

The most precious pearls are completely symmetrical, relatively large and naturally formed. They contain a shimmering iridescence which is called orient shine.

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