The Pearl: How Cultured Pearls are Grown
Bred for Quality
Early pearl cultivation involved planting a nucleus in wild oysters. While some seek to jump-start the natural process by implanting a tiny piece of pearl mantle inside the oyster, others use beads designed to create a larger pearl in the shortest period of time and help to control its shape. Along the way, Japanese scientists identified strains of oysters with the best pearl-bearing qualities and focused on using them to produce pearls of high luster and clear, uniform color.
Enter the Nucleus
Technicians open the live pearl oysters gently, then surgically implant a small polished shell bead and piece of mantle tissue in each. The shell bead is the nucleus around which the oyster secretes layer after layer of nacre, the crystalline substance that forms the pearl.
Back to the Sea
Nucleated oysters are returned to the sea, where they are suspended from rafts in sheltered bays rich in natural nutrients. The oysters will feed and grow, secreting lustrous layers of nacre around the implanted bead. In winter, the oysters are moved to warmer waters. Pearl technicians monitor water temperatures and feeding conditions daily at various water depths and move the oysters to take advantage of the best growing conditions.
Pampered Oysters
The pearl-bearing oysters are lifted from the sea for cleaning and health care. Seaweed, barnacles and other growths are removed and the shells are treated with compounds to prevent parasites from injuring the oysters.
The Birth of a Pearl
Typhoons, red tides of plankton and predators all take their toll before the pearls are ready to be harvested. On average, about half of the nucleated oysters do not survive to bear pearls. Millions of oysters are nucleated every year, but only a fraction live to bear pearls. Less than five percent of nucleated oysters yield pearls with the ideal shape, luster and color to be considered fine gem quality.
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