Pearl

Pearl is the official birthstone for the month of June and is also the birthstone for the Sun Signs of Gemini and Cancer. Pearls have been used for adornment for more than 6,000 years. By 2500 B.C. there was already a substantial Pearl trade in China. The “ideal” Pearl is perfectly round and smooth, although more often they form in irregular shapes. An organic gem, Pearls are formed inside mollusks such as oysters and mussels. They are formed when an irritant such as a tiny stone or bit of sand gets inside the mollusk's shell. A lustrous substance, called nacre, is secreted around the object to protect the soft internal surface of the mollusk. As layer upon layer of nacre coats the irritant, a Pearl is formed. Light that is reflected from these overlapping layers produces a characteristic iridescent luster. This process of building a solid Pearl can take up to seven or eight years.

The most valuable Pearls are perfectly symmetrical, relatively large and naturally produced. The principal oyster beds lay in the Persian Gulf, along the coasts of India and Sri Lanka, and in the Red Sea. Chinese Pearls come mainly from freshwater rivers and ponds, whereas Japanese Pearls are found near the coast in salt water.

There are many types of Pearls:
Natural Pearls - made without human interference
Cultured Pearls- made when a foreign substance is intentionally inserted into a living oyster. This method was first used in 1893.
Baroque Pearls - pearls that have irregular shapes
Biwa Pearls - an irregular shaped pearl which forms in the freshwater of Lake Biwa, Japan
Blister Pearls - pearls which grow attached to the inside of the shell
Black Pearls - gray to black pearls
Fresh Water Pearls - pearls which form in fresh water mollusks and resemble puffed rice
Mabe Pearls - cultivated blister pearls
Seed Pearls - small, tiny pearls used in Victorian jewelry and sewn on clothing)

Early Chinese myths told of pearls falling from the sky when dragons fought. Much early folklore mentions Pearls as a symbol of innocence, faith, and charity.

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