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Pearls have always been a passion of mine...

But the naturally occurring pearls are rare...

Only about one in 10,000 of the oysters produces a gem-quality pearl,

but every shell is valuable. Inside, these shells are coated with iridescent nacre

or "mother of pearl", the same substance from which pearls are formed.

Pearl diving can be difficult

and dangerous.

Repeated dives into deep water place great

stress on the body because of the varying

pressures at different depths. And although most sea life presents little danger to humans,
sharks can be a hazard, and reaching into

a crevice can occasionally result in a bite

from a startled octopus or moray eel.

Unlike gemstones produced deep inside the Earth, pearls are created by

living creatures called mollusks. Mollusks commonly have a soft,

unsegmented body and a hard exterior shell, such as a clam or snail has.

These animals live in marine and freshwater habitats as well as on land.

The evolutionary history of this group extends back some 530 million

years, with approximately 100,000 species of mollusks alive today.

Any mollusk that produces a shell can produce

a pearl. The cultured pearl industry, which has flourished since the early 20th century, has
developed techniques to greatly improve these
odds. Indeed, more pearls are produced now

than at any time in human history.

Information obtained here

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Page created on June, 06, 2006