Where do pearls come from? How did cultured pearls come about?

All pearls begin from a core. In the case of natural pearls, the core is a piece of something in the ocean, like a shell, fishbone or even a grain of sand. The core then finds its way into the shell of an oyster. The pearl oyster then produces layers upon layers of nacre in order to defend itself from this external element, and it is precisely this nacre that contributes to the growth of a pearl. Before the turn of the 19th century, Kokichi Mikimoto discovered a method of imitating the natural course of a pearl's development, hence creating cultured pearls. By placing a piece of a shell in an oyster, thereby causing the oyster to produce many layers of nacre, cultured pearls were formed. In order to produce cultured pearls, a lot of time and devotion must be invested in the process. Initially, a strong mother oyster must generate bay oysters, preferably oysters with thick shells and interiors appropriate for breeding purposes. Throughout the following couple of years, the baby oysters must be cared for in nets that are immersed in the ocean. Once the pearl oysters have developed properly, cores can be embedded in them. Placing the core or nucleus in a pearl oyster must be done very carefully. Usually a core from a pig-toe shell is placed in the pearl oyster. Since the properties of this shell are much like the Akoya oyster, it usually won't be too problematic for the oyster to accept it. Once the pearl oysters hold the cores, they are placed back in the ocean where they are then immersed in protective nets and left to hang from rafts. Though the areas of the sea where the rafts are located are observed, at times they need to be moved in order to keep the pearl oysters from being harmed by potential predators, problematic temperatures, etc. Basically the pearl oysters are left to develop nacre around the core. A few times a year, the pearl oyster nets are cleaned and then re-submerged in the water. It usually takes up to 3 years for an optimal pearl to form, but this figure may vary for the harvesting of larger pearls or pearls of higher quality. By the end of this process, a gorgeous pearl lies inside the oyster. Depending on the pearl's level of quality, it will most likely be used in pearl jewelry.

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