A natural pearl is created because an irritation in the form of a grain of sand or a small animal finds its way into the mussel or oyster. The animal's natural defense mechanism will then begin to form layers upon layers of nacre to encapsulate the irritation. Many layers later, that reaction turns into a fascinating gem.
Pearls can occur in different types of clams and oysters, and are found in both fresh and salt water. For centuries, people hunted for the "perfect" natural pearl in the deep seas, until they learned how to grow pearls in a safer way.
Today, natural pearls are extremely rare, which makes them very expensive

Before a method of growing pearls was invented, pearl divers had to risk their lives to dive deep to find the precious pearls. After many attempts, the legendary Kokichi Mikimoto succeeded in developing an efficient form of pearl cultivation in Japan in the 1920s. Mikimoto found out how to artificially add the irritation that creates the pearl.
Growing pearls is incredibly difficult because both clams and oysters are very sensitive animals that are immediately affected by pollution, storms, disease, lack of oxygen and temperature. Pearl production thus helps to influence the production countries to preserve a healthy aquatic environment. For example, one can grow the coveted South Sea pearls by grinding small donor pearls and then grafting the Pinctada Maxima oyster to create a South Sea pearl. # # #people #environment #pearls #articlewriting #article #articlewriter