Mommy, Where Do Pearls Come From?

Mommy, Where Do Pearls Come From?

  

Without getting too complicated or technical, I would love to share a

wonderful story with you about the “birth of a pearl”. 

Just like with humans, this miracle can happen naturally or with a little assistance from the scientific world.  However, rarely do oysters create pearls naturally, so the majority of pearls on the market today occurred with the assistance of a human being, or cultured as we call it.

In a nut shell, or should I say oyster shell, this is how the story goes for one of those extremely rare occasions when nature takes charge in the creation of a pearl.  Imagine, a happy little oyster sitting on the bottom of the sea minding its own business when along comes an annoying little piece of coral and makes its way inside of the oyster’s shell.  Of course, the oyster doesn’t know what it is, but it certainly knows it doesn’t belong inside his shell.  The oyster thinks that this little intruder might cause it a lot of trouble, so the oyster decides he must protect himself from the irritant!  The animal instincts click in and the mantle (an oyster body part) starts producing nacre, a really hard substance which lucky for us also happens to be beautiful too, and encases it around that miserable little piece of coral to protect the happy little oyster from that nasty little intruder.  As years go by, the oyster keeps producing nacre on the irritant until the remote possibility that some diver is in the right place at the right time, and finds the oyster with the beautiful natural pearl, a true miracle of the sea.   I wouldn’t spend too much time looking for that one in a million oyster, as these days, your odds of winning a state lottery are much better than finding a natural pearl.

 Natural pearls were coveted by royalty in many countries, and at one time were somewhat prevalent in many parts of the world including parts of Japan. In the late 1800’s with foreign trade increasingly more common,   the natural pearl supply diminished due to the demand and over harvesting.  A visionary in his time, a man by the name of Micky Moto (more commonly referred to as Mikimoto) saw the problem early on and started working to figure  out a way that the oyster would continue to grow pearls with a little stimulation from mankind.  Thus, the cultured pearl as we know it today was born.

After several years of trial and error, the first perfect cultured pearl made its debut in 1905.  Micky Moto had learned a lot from his experimentation and went on to perfect the process which has made it possible for pearls to adorn some of the most beautiful necks in the world.  So now, I will tell you the rest of this story of miracles from the sea…

When oysters reach the age of 2-3 years old and appear to be healthy, they are ready and able to go under a surgical procedure that gets the process of “pearl making” started.  Also known as seeding or nucleating, this is a very delicate procedure and takes many years to learn the technique to successfully perform it.  First, the oysters awaiting the procedure are starved for several days, to slow their metabolisms down, decreasing the chances of the oyster rejecting the nucleus.  In addition, it is easier to open the oysters if they are really hungry!  Next a donor oyster is sacrificed and a piece of the mantle is removed from its outer section.  As we already learned, the mantle is an oyster body part responsible for producing the nacre and a live graft from it is necessary so that the host oyster will accept the foreign nucleus graciously. Next the oyster is opened with special instruments and the mantel is inserted into the soft tissue of the oyster through a slit made with a sharp scalpel.  Then the core nucleus, picture a round bead, usually made from the a shell of a Mississippi mussel is placed in the oyster‘s soft tissue through the same scalpel slit that received the mantle graft.  The oyster is then returned to the water to be irritated by the little intruder that was surgically implanted in its shell.  The oyster now proceeds to go through the same process as if a small piece of coral or a pebble had gotten into his shell.  The oyster starts producing nacre and encasing its intruder in order to protect itself, thus creating a cultured pearl.  The oyster remains in the water to allow the nacre to continue building up around the nucleus.  The longer the oyster remains in the water, the thicker the nacre.  The thicker the nacre, the more lustrous and beautiful the final pearl is.

When the pearl farmers are satisfied and the pearls are ready, they are harvested.    After harvesting, the pearl has to go through a series of processes such as cleaning and polishing, sorting, and sometimes drilling to become ready to be the most prized possession of some lucky girl somewhere in this world.  Most pearls will move on to be part of an amazing pearl necklace lying gracefully on the neck of a beautiful woman.  Some pearls will dance from the ear lobes of princesses and queens.  Many will spend their 1st day out in their new life adorning a bride and her bridesmaids on her wedding day.  While it is impossible to know where all cultured pearls will end up, either in a ring or earrings or in a bracelet around your wrist, there is one thing we know about pearls for certain.  When a pearl has the privilege of being adopted by someone who loves them, they will certainly live happily ever after, as long as they are together.

Let's Take a Little trip down Memory Lane..................... 

Your mom and dad are getting ready to go out for the evening.  The babysitter has just arrived and you are already for bed in your snuggly yellow footie pajamas.  Mom pops in for “just one more” bedtime story along with anotherhug and kiss goodnight before it is time to go…………..think back……..close your eyes and remember……..

Are you smiling yet?  Is it because of “Curious George Goes to the Hospital” which you actually  just finished reading to your own little one for the gazillionth time?  Maybe you can smell the “Dippity Doo” your mom used to “set” her hair, or maybe you can almost smell that perfume she always used to wear when she and dad went out for a night on the town.

Almost for certain, she was wearing her pearl necklace, the same necklace you (or your spouse) have been dreaming about since you were a little girl.  The same pearl necklace your own  little girl dreams about today as she plays “wedding” with her Barbie and Ken dolls or her Calico Critter bunnies as they set off to the the chapel in their wedding finery;  proving  once again that class never goes out of style.

Pearls are the classics that have passed the test of time.  A must have for royalty, queens and princesses alike; a pearl necklace always portrays a class act.   Mary Queen of Scots is one of the earliest royals known for her pearl wardrobe, which includes a six strand necklace, strung as a Christian rosary and has more than 600 pearls in total included in the piece.   Other royal subjects known to be pearl lovers include the current Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II as well as the much loved and missed, Princess Diana.  On her wedding day, Lady Diana wore a pearl and sapphire choker with her wedding gown which was adorned with more than 10,000 cultured pearls! 

It has been said that Hollywood royalty, political figureheads and or their spouses, and modern day celebrities find pearls to be an essential wardrobe accessory. These high-profile individuals emulate class, style and sophistication and truly understand that pearls help portray an image that is all at once elegant and sophisticated, ageless as well as classy.  From of Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, and Audrey Hepburn to Rihanna, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kiera Knightly; celebrities everywhere are donning the most desirable gem of generations past and future.  With that in mind, don’t be surprised if you see Suri Cruise, Sunday (Kidman) Urban; or Apple (Paltrow) Martin on a play date or at an important tea party sporting their stylish pearl pendants.

Pearls have also always been a sign of wealth and power and continue to be so.  Oprah Winfrey, the queen of daytime talk shows, who is also one of the wealthiest women in the world is often seen with a large strand of beautiful South Sea Tahitian pearls wrapped lovingly around her neck.  Just as Ivana Trump, the ex-wife of multi billionaire Donald Trump is rarely seen without a multi strand pearl bracelet and a pearl ring. Pearl jewelry seemingly evokes confidence amongst the rich and famous.  Take note that throughout history, wherever there is power and wealth you will usually find the lady of the hour adorned with pearls, either hanging around their neck or decorating her ear lobes. These magnificent gems that nature has brought us, are truly the armor powerful women were wearing yesterday, today, and will continue to wear tomorrow.  Regardless of the occasion and whether it was the  First Lady of Camelot, Jackie Kennedy; our current First, Michelle Obama;  former first lady and first mom, Barbara Bush, we know for certain that “class will never go out of style”.