Natural pearls are very rare, even among other valuable gems. They are so rare that chances are, in about 100,000 oysters only one will contain a real natural pearl. It is the only gem that is born inside a living organism. Natural born pearls are gifts of nature. Pearls are formed when sand or other outside materials by chance enters into the oysters or mussels underneath the ocean. As external objects being absorbed into the oyster, the oyster becomes irritated and begins to coat the foreign object with beautiful layers of smooth hard substance called nacre. As time passes, the layers become thick enough to form the radiant pearl.
Just like diamonds, pearls come in a variety of assorted colors. Ranging from white, black, gold, silver, yellow, pink, to creamy. But unlike diamonds and other gemstones you find in mines that need to be cut to show off their exquisite beauty, a pearl will shine magically from the moment the oyster is opened. All this makes the pearl one of a kind and cannot be replace by any other treasures.
But because natural born pearls are so scarce, nowadays, most pearls that are sold on the market are cultured pearls. The foreign objects of cultured pearls have deliberately been inserted into the oyster or mussel. The rest of the process of forming a pearl remains the same. Even with advancement in methods only a very small percentage of cultivated oysters will turn out a fine pearl. Man still plays a very small part, whereas nature still does most of the work in making the finest cultured pearl. |
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