Natural or cultured pearls?

- Categories : Pearls

The use of pearl between the sixteenth and the eighteenth century it became a real craze and led to the rapid depletion of the major banks perliferi of the coast of Sri Lanka, the Red Sea, the Persian gofo and the Americas.
The images of Polynesian fisherman who plunged to collect oysters born "naturally" in the seabed, are now relegated only on some old film.

The last strands of pearls extracted from shells "born free", without human intervention, are centenarians and now really rare if, in addition, we consider that a string of pearls, well maintained, can reach a period of portability not more than two hundred years.

It attaches to the Japanese Mikimoto, even if others vie for the title, the discovery of the secret that the world was looking for: being able to re-provide the gem, symbol of prestige, worshiped by kings and the higher social classes.

Mikimoto, in 1800, found a way to induce an oyster to produce a pearl: the Akoya mythical.


From that moment began the "cultivation" of pearl oysters and the subsequent collection of pearls produced with a "natural" method from oysters, although induced by the hand man.

Should however be noted that in the sea oysters, grown to extract pearls, can accidentally enter foreign bodies.
In this case a pearl is born called Keshi pearls, formed without human intervention (see Keshi Pearls in our Blob).


Mollusk species of bivalves used in crops worldwide.

Japan
- Akoya pearls; mollusk "Pinctada Fucata Martensii", size cm 8-13.
Australia - mollusk Pinctada Maxima, measuring up to 30 cm.
Tahiti - mollusk Pinctada Margaritifera, measuring up to 30 cm.
Gulf of California - mollusk Pinctada mazatlanica, smaller than 20 cm;
                                   mollusc Pteria Sterna, smaller than 13 cm.

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