So how are pearls made? Pearls do not grow on trees nor are they manufactured in warehouses. They are found inside live oysters. When some foreign substance enters the oyster’s body, it tries to protect itself by secreting a substance called nacre. This substance covers the intruder and eventually multiple layers of nacre cover up the irritant and the resultant product is the pearl. In course of the time, oysters produce Tahitian pearls, the black-lipped oyster is around six to eight inches in diameter.

Tahiti, as we all know, is the largest island in French Polynesia but the pearl culturing farms are located in other remote islands in the territory that are accessible only by a sea plane or a boat. Actually, the blue lagoons of the Tuamotu Archipelago and Gambier islands are home to the pearl farms that cultivate and develop into Tahitian pearls. The shallow lagoons of these islands are bounded by coral reefs where the waters are nutrient rich, clean and calm. This helps a lot in furthering the culturing process. Here the pearls are found in a type of bivalve mollusk called black-lipped oyster that is native to French Polynesia.

The pearls that have been obtained in this fashion are called cultured pearls. Of course, the quality of cultured pearls depend a lot on the water body selected for cultivation, the nutrients available in it as well as various other factors like sweet or salt water, the depth at which the cultivation is practiced, etc. Since salt water is freely available in the sea, salt water oysters are easily cultivated in shallow basins or lagoons that are not very deep. Some sea-waters provide ideal cultivation and pearls obtained from such places are linked to the area and hence named after them.

Tahitian pearls are much in demand with jewelers and fashion designers all over the world. Since Tahitian pearls come in various sizes and colors, they make beautiful pendants, necklaces, rings, earrings and are widely used in jewelry worn by ladies while men’s items cover cuff links, tie pins and others.

There are basically two types of cultured pearls - they are:

• Freshwater pearls
• Saltwater pearls

Freshwater pearls are the ones that come from fresh water mussels or oysters. These are mostly produced in Japan, China and the United States. Backed by a wing of the United Nations, freshwater pearls are now also being cultivated in Bangladesh.

Freshwater pearls are cultivated in lakes and rivers and a single mussel can produce up to 50 pearls. Saltwater pearls are nucleated within a small organ called the Gonad, while freshwater mussels are nucleated in the mantle tissue itself. Each side of the bi-valve mussel can easily handle up to 30 nucleations at a time.

Freshwater pearls are a delight of designers as they come in a variety of shades such as…

White, black, pink, lavender, purple and tangerine

The shades depend on the type of mussel. Freshwater pearls are also available in many shapes, including rice, button, winged, oval and flake. Insertion of slices in the mantle plays a big part in determining the size and the shape of these freshwater pearls.

However, using non-nucleus insertion method, freshwater pearls can be raised in various shapes including round, semi-round, potato, rice, short rice, long rice, water drop, flat, twin face, quad face, bread and others. With the help of Bewa Slice Insertion techniques, pearls also appear in pipa shape, long or short stick, long or short slice. Nucleus Insertion technique makes these pearls look like square, rectangle, rhombus and other interesting contours.

As these pearls usually come in smaller sizes, new technology has been developed to increase the size of freshwater pearls. It involves “Additional Planting” which is an extension of the traditional cultivating process. This technology actually uses the suspended mussel that has been raised over 2 to 3 years, and selects the finest and continuing suspended cultivation for three or more years. The process, no doubt, takes longer time but the results are promising.

The success in freshwater pearls lies in the use of graft tissue and a nucleus. Usually, the graft tissue is a portion of the mantle which is a part of the mussel that produces the shell. When a portion of this mantle is grafted inside the body of the mussel, it lives by attaching itself on the wall of the organ where it is introduced. Once there, it begins to receive nutrition and function as a part of the mantle, secreting shell substances and coating the nucleus.

And this is how freshwater pearls or cultured pearls are produced.

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.

These black pearls are obtained through grafting operations that are carried out by skilled technicians on black-lipped oysters of French Polynesia, called ‘Pinctada margaritifera’. Interestingly, black pearls are not absolutely black in color. They are most often multicolored, a metallic steel gray luster covering the entire surface. The darkish color of the pearl is imparted by the oyster that gives out dark, multicolored nacre instead of the common white or pale pink as in normal pearls. Black pearls spell elegance and are one of the rarest and striking gems known in the world of jewelry. They are usually made into necklaces, earrings, bracelets and many more and are available in a wide variety of luster and shade.

Tahitian black pearls are also endowed with bigger sizes as the oyster that produces the pearl is much larger (up to 12 inches in diameter) compared to a mere 3 inches for the Akoya oyster that produces white pearls. Tahitian cultured black pearls are sold in various grades, and these grades are always stamped on them for the convenience of the buyer.

Of all the black pearls that are cultivated either as Saltwater or Freshwater products, the Tahitian black pearl outshines all, looking the most exotic because of its thick nacre and dazzling luster. Moreover, it has a metallic sheen, bestowing an extra appeal. The radiant Tahitian black pearls catch the light with an unmistakable power and are a sheer joy to wear in whatever form the lady may prefer.

However please keep in mind that not all Tahitian black pearls are cultured in Tahiti and also, all cultivated pearls are not black in color. Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia but the pearl culturing farms are located in other remote island atolls that are accessible only through sea-planes or boats. Since they are all close to Tahiti, they are known as Tahitian black pearls.

Truthfully speaking, the blue lagoons of Tuamotu Archipelago and the Gambier Islands are home to the pearl farms that cultivate and develop the famous Tahitian black pearls. The shallow lagoons located around these islands are bounded by coral reefs where the waters are nutrient rich, clear and calm and are thus extremely helpful in the black pearl culturing process. It is in these waters that black pearls are grown in a type of bi-valve mollusk called ‘black-lipped oysters’ that are native to French Polynesia.

The inner edges and brims of the mantles are rainbow colored, giving them the look.

So how are these cultured Akoya pearls formed? The formation of a pearl begins in the inside of an oyster when a foreign body enters it. Now since the entry naturally causes irritation, the oyster covers it with layers of secretion that are produced by the mantle. And this is how a pearl begins to take shape and grow. Taking the cue from nature, man has started organizing farms. Oysters are usually cultivated in shallow basins or lagoons where divers insert elements into the oysters or simply cut a slit in the mantle of the oyster and then let it go for the pearl to develop over time. The pearls that are so obtained are referred to as cultured pearls.

The oyster that produces Akoya pearls are the smallest, adults are between three to five inches in diameter, and thus, Akoya pearls are much smaller than the other variants. But what it lacks in volume is more than compensated in quality. Considering pearl value factors, the Akoya stands out and as a matter of fact, most of them prove ‘exceptional’. The secret behind the ‘matching quality’ lies in their shape, which is round or near-round.

However, size sometimes becomes an important factor in evaluating an Akoya pearl as there is apparently a gulf of difference between a 7.5 mm and an 8 mm Akoya. This is because the 8 mm variety fits snugly in fashion jewelry whereas the 7.5 mm variety is simply discarded. Though small in size, but these pearls increase in value as the size grows. However, size notwithstanding, Akoya pearls have typically good luster that stands out as a precious gem.

A word or two about Akoya pearls in fashion jewelry. These amazing pearls are a favorite of fashion designers and jewelers and are thus used in rings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, brooches, earrings for the women and tie tacks, cufflinks and other accessories for men. Among all the above uses, probably Akoya pearls are most widely used in pearl necklaces. Akoya pearls are available in white or cream in body color with rose, silver or ivory overtones. However some of these Akoya pearls are also available as black which is attained through coloring using a process known as irradiation.