The quite, gentle shine and softness that it exudes have made pearls possess an
endearing quality. Over the ages pearls have been highly valued as
gemstones and objects of beauty.
Creation of a pearl
Pearls
are formed inside the shell of shelled mollusks. It is produced
within the soft tissue or the mantle of the mollusk. The small
irritants like sand or particles of organisms enter the animal when
the shell valves are open for feeding or respiration. The mollusk,
as a defense mechanism being irritated by the intruder, as a defense
mechanism, secretes the calcium carbonate and conchiolin to cover
the irritant. This secretion process is repeated many times, to seal
off the irritation, thus producing a pearl.
Freshwater and saltwater pearls
Natural freshwater pearls form in various species of freshwater
mussels, which live in lakes, rivers and ponds while salt water
pearls grow within pearl oysters, which live in the oceans and seas.
Nacreous pearls are the best-known and most significant among
pearls. A unique quality of these pearls is that while one family of
nacreous pearl oysters lives in the sea, the other lives in
freshwater.
Pearls
are either natural or cultured. A natural pearl is one that forms
without any human intervention at all while cultured pearls are
pearls that have been formed by artificial means.
Natural pearls are rare and difficult to find and are therefore
highly valued. Earlier natural pearls were found in many parts of
the world while present day pearls are found mostly in the seas of
Bahrain and in the Australian Indian Ocean. It is no wonder that the
pearl is referred to as the Queen of the Sea.
Famous Pearls
Charles I: A famous pearl, now lost, destroyed, or hidden
away by a discreet collector, was that of King Charles I.
Charles II: Like his predecessor, King Charles I, King
Charles II possessed a remarkable pearl which was given to the
monarch of Canary Island.
La Peregrina: Known once as the Phillip II pearl, La
Peregrina, was once the most celebrated pearl of its time. Weighing
203.8 grains, La Peregrina was celebrated not only for its great
size, but also its perfect pear shape, its perfect white color. It
was owned by Queen Mary of Spain.
Imperial Hong Kong Pearl: The Imperial Hong Kong Pearl is one
of the largest pearls ever found measuring 26mm by 39mm and weighs
in at 25.5 grams. It is believed to have once belonged to Chinese
royalty.
Abernethy Pearl: Perhaps the most famous is the Abernethy
pearl. This one weights 44 grams and was collected by Bill Abernethy
after whom it was named.
The Pearl of Asia: One of the largest natural pearls in the
world is The Pearl of Asia. Discovered in the 17th century in India,
it is 600 carats. It became the property of the King of Persia
(currently Iran), who in turn gave it to the Chinese Emperor
Qianlong. In China it was thought to bring happiness and good
fortune.