Pearl Luster

Believe it or not, the word ‘Mother of Pearl’ is not a misnomer. It is just an innocuous oyster or rather the secretion that it produces in the form of calcite that gives birth to a pearl through a biological process.

An oyster has two shells that are connected by an elastic tissue like substance allowing it to open and close at will. The shells are mostly kept open for nourishment. Inside, the oyster has another tissue like substance called mantle that secrets a kind of fluid called nacre. When a tiny foreign substance gets engrossed within the oyster by chance, causing irritation, the mantle immediately starts covering the irritant with layer upon layers of nacre and eventually forms the pearl.

This, of course is a natural pearl. Taking the cue from nature’s school, pearl farmers manually insert such an irritant into the tissue of an oyster or mollusk, inducing it to create a pearl and these pearls are popularly known as cultured pearls.

During the late 19th and early 20th century, Japanese researchers, notably Mr. K. Mikimoto perfected the method of cultivating cultured pearls. And today, cultured pearls are mass produced since the chance element is eliminated. Pearl farmers can obtain as many pearls as they need under controlled conditions.

While natural pearls can have deformities and/or malformations, cultured pearls can be schooled for elegance and appearance. Today the technology has developed to such an extent that the shape, design, color and overall appearance of cultured pearls can be pre-determined by the pearl farmer, matching market stipulations. Now the oysters can also be monitored till the pearls are fully formed as per requirement, ensuring their nourishment, health and survival so that an unlimited harvest of quality cultured pearls are assured. As a direct result of these achievements, cultured pearls have become much more affordable these days and are not something that only the super rich can afford.

A few instances of successful farming of cultured pearls:

1. Tahitian Pearls - In the cool, quiet salt water islands in the French Polynesia, namely the blue lagoons of the Tuamotu Archipelago and Gambier islands, far away into the sea, approachable only through sea-planes and boats, farmers are involved in producing black cultured pearls that are in demand in the world market. Here the black-lipped oysters having rainbow colored mantles live up to an unbelievable 30 years or more and has girths up to a foot.
2. Akoya Pearls - Also grown in ocean salt waters, Akoya pearls are the most popular cultured pearls in the world, famous for their shape, beauty and high luster. Though smaller in size, no other type of pearl can match the luminous luster of an Akoya. Incidentally, Akoya pearls were the first pearls to be cultured in the early 20th century, making pearl jewelry affordable.

Cultured pearls can often be distinguished from natural pearls through the use of X-ray that reveals the inner nucleus of the pearl.

Leave a Reply