I recently read an article about pearls, specifically natural pearls compared to cultured pearls. Here is an excerpt from that article.
Pearls are the only gemstone that is formed within a living creature. Natural pearls begin as a foreign object caught inside the oyster’s inner body. The oyster goes into defensive action and secretes a substance called nacre around this foreign object (irritant) to protect itself. The oyster will continue to secrete nacre around the irritant, adding layer upon layer, to produce a pearl. Natural pearls are extremely rare — in every 10,000 oysters, you might be lucky to find a single natural pearl!
Cultured pearls share the same properties of natural pearls and grow organically inside of oysters in the same fashion as natural pearls. The only difference is a person carefully implants the irritant, a small piece of polished shell, in the oyster, rather than leaving it to chance. However, it’s still up to nature to create the miraculous beauty of a pearl.
Kokichi Mikimoto patented the process of culturing pearls inside Akoya oysters in Japan in 1916. Once cultured pearls were developed and offered to the public in the 1920s, the “pearl craze” began — everyone wanted them, could afford them, and wore them. Because the culturing process occurs over several years, a perfect balance of conditions is required for the aquaculture, or growth in water, of pearls. It takes more than 800,000 oyster hours to grow cultured pearls considered of “high quality.” Japan dominated the industry until China became the leading producer of cultured pearls in the 1980s.
Because pearls are produced by a living organism, pearls require special care because they contain calcareous crystals that are sensitive to chemicals and acids. To care for your cultured or natural pearls, avoid using perfume, hairspray, abrasives, solvents, and nail polish removers while wearing them. Like your skin, cultured pearls contain water and may dehydrate and crack if exposed continuously to arid conditions. Pearls should be cleaned and re-strung annually if worn regularly. Do not use ultrasonic cleaning.
