Natural pearls form when some kind of irritant, usually a small organism, makes its way into the shell of a mollusk like an oyster or a mussel. To protect itself from the invader, the mollusk ...

A great irony of pearl history ... selection of subtle natural colors. Nucleating an oyster. The Chinese have also begun to nucleate some of their freshwater mussels with shell nuclei implants ...

Fine large shells of a dead white are supplied by Singapore. Common varieties come irom Bombay and Valgraiso, from the latter place with jet black edges. South Sea pearl-shells are common ...

Pearls are made by marine oysters and freshwater mussels as a natural defence against an irritant such as a parasite entering their shell or damage to their fragile body. The oyster or mussel slowly ...

World's Oldest Known Natural Pearl Discovered ... "The Abu Dhabi Pearl is a stunning find, testimony to the ancient origins ...

Pearls are the result of a mollusc's reaction to irritants such as parasites that enter its shell. Although model pearls are perfectly round and smooth, in reality they come in a huge number of shapes ...