Both cultured and natural pearls grow inside pearl-bearing molluscs in both saltwater and freshwater.
There are different types of molluscs depending on the pearls they produce.
For example:
- the akoya oyster , have you heard of akoya pearls (Japanese, Australian, New Guinea pearls).
- the so-called black-lipped oyster, which produces black or gray pearls, are found in French Polynesia.
- the silver or golden lip oyster, distributed throughout the Pacific, which produce large gold or white pearls.
Freshwater molluscs live in the rivers and lakes of China, Vietnam, Japan and Korea.
All pearl-bearing molluscs have one thing in common: they produce a layer of mother-of-pearl inside their shell. Therefore the internal coating of the shell is called mother of pearl, when this is found on the pearl it is called nacre .
How is a pearl formed?
A natural pearl is formed when a parasite or some other foreign element enters the body of the mollusc, it can even be a grain of sand. The mollusk deposits layers of nacre on the intruder to soothe irritation.
In the case of cultured pearls this process is done by man with a grafting of a spherical substance - called nucleus.
For freshwater pearls, the typical cultivation process begins when a piece of mantle tissue is inserted inside the mollusk. Other grafts also involve the insertion of the spherical nucleus.
The fundamental difference in price lies in the fact that salt water pearls need a period of up to 2 years to form with a single graft. The freshwater pearls form in about 6 months and the grafts inside the mollusc are numerous, 20, 30. So you understand….
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