are pearls formed by the insertion of a piece of mantle tissue, with or without a nucleus, into the mother oyster or mussel.
Most pearls are farmed in monitored environments with the intent of commercial sale. These places are sometimes referred to as Pearl farms. The techniques used to implant an oyster (mollusk) to induce the pearl making process is called "culturing". Human intervention is used by implanting an oyster with food, mantle tissue, nuclei or other particles such as a round bead center. The oyster senses this implant as an irritant and will start to coat the interloper with a nacreous substance. This substance creates the layering of the pearl and is referred to as "nacre (naker)". It is perceived that the deeper the nacre layers the more valuable the pearl. In our opinion, only an experienced gemologist can actually determine a pearl's estimated value after review through microscopic x-ray techniques. Zhang's values academic vs. industry appraisal to avoid any conflicts of interest. As such we do not offer appraisals with purchase except on items purchased priced over $ 10,000.00 USD.
are formed by the introduction of a mother-of-pearl bead into an oyster. The oyster subsequently covers the bead with a layer of nacre, thus producing a cultured pearl. A natural pearl, by comparison, occurs when a tiny particle such as sand invades the body of a mollusk without human intervention. Natural pearls are more valuable than cultured pearls, yet the two are not easily distinguished. Artificial pearls are largely made of glass or even plastic.
Pearl produced when a person introduces a small object into a pearl-producing mollusk. Kokichi Mikimoto first began pearl cultivation in the early 1900s. The four common types of cultured pearls are Freshwater Cultured Pearls, Akoya Cultured Pearls, Tahitian Cultured Pearls, and South Sea Cultured Pearls.
A pearl that formed as a result of human intervention. A small irritant made with a mother-of-pearl bead or mantle tissue is inserted into the mollusk to induce pearl production. Kokichi Mikimoto was credited for perfecting the nucleation process.
Pearls that are grown inside a mollusk when a foreign item has been surgically implanted by human means. Cultured pearls are grown on pearl farms where several thousand mollusks can be implanted and cared for over the 2-5 years required for a pearl to develop. Cultured pearls were generally thought of as expensive, high-end pearls, and the word is still used widely with that higher value in mind. But in a sense, all pearls grown on pearl farms are cultured – the word simply refers to those grown with human intervention rather than occurring randomly in nature.
Like natural pearls, cultured pearls grow inside a living organism. However, they do not begin as accidental intruders to the shell. Instead, humans insert mother-of-pearl beads or other shapes into a mollusk. Over time they become coated with nacre. The depth of the nacre coating depends on how long the beads are left in place before being harvested.
A process of cultivating pearls by inserting a mother of pearl irritant into an oyster or other mollusk. Although amazingly beautiful specimens are readily available, cultured pearls will typically have thinner nacre and lack the orient that make natural pearls so lustrous.
