May 18, 2009

Get cultured

Over the next couple of weeks, this blog is going to be dedicated to the understanding of pearls, particularly the pearls that are used in the Mai Pearls designs.

All the pearls found in the Mai Pearls designs are "cultured pearls". So what are cultured pearls? Are they real pearls? Yes, they are real and they have been created by a pearl farmer under controlled conditions. The farmer places a small object, typically a parasite or piece of organic matter inside an oyster or mollusk. In response, the mantle tissue of the mollusk secretes nacre and as the nacre builds up in layers, it surrounds the irritant and eventually forms a pearl. FACT; It is a myth that a grain of sand can cause a pearl to form, as nacre will not adhere to inorganic substances.

Natural pearls are formed in nature, more or less by chance. Cultured pearls, by contrast, are those in which humans help to create. By actually inserting a foreign object into the tissue of an oyster or mollusk, pearl farmers can induce the creation of a pearl. The same natural process of pearl creation takes place.

So fact; cultured pearls are real, they are farmed by man and are also "natural", they are they type of pearls used within Mai Pearls designs.

Posted: May 18, 2009 12:05 PM