Pearls are one of the most valuable and appreciated jewels globally. However, its formation process remains a complete mystery to many people, so below we explain step by step how natural pearls are formed.
The love for pearls has its origins in thousands of years old. Already in the Roman Empire the pearl was dedicated to Aphrodite, and in the Inca civilization only royalty could wear them.
In the Middle Ages they were used as decoration, and it was in the Renaissance when they began to be used as jewelry. In 1939, the largest pearl on record was found in the Philippines: it measured 22 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide.
This is how pearls are formed
The first thing to keep in mind is that they are a product of animal origin because they are formed in mollusks from mineral matter , especially in mussels and oysters. The formation process occurs as a defensive tool against a certain element that causes irritation, such as grains of sand. Any foreign body that comes into contact with the mollusk is covered with sheets of mother-of-pearl, which solidify and end up giving rise to the stone.
Can a mollusk be irritated on purpose so that it forms a pearl ? The truth is that yes. You have to make a small wound in the animal’s mantle and introduce an irritating substance, such as grains of sand. The quality of these pearls is the same as that of natural ones, although their price in the market is lower because they are more numerous.
The vast majority of pearls used in jewelry are round and white in color . They are the best known, although not all are like that. There are pearls of different colors, and even in the Pacific Ocean you can find black pearls.
The color of the pearl largely depends on the type of mollusk , as well as the temperature of the water. Although the white ones are the best known, there are others that are brown, pink … Some of the places where you can find these jacks are the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, Polynesia, Australia, Japan, Germany, Ireland, China, Austria and Scotland.
