The quite, gentle shine and softness that it exudes have made pearls possess an endearing quality. Over the ages pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty.

Creation of a pearl
Pearls are formed inside the shell of shelled mollusks. It is produced within the soft tissue or the mantle of the mollusk. The small irritants like sand or particles of organisms enter the animal when the shell valves are open for feeding or respiration. The mollusk, as a defense mechanism being irritated by the intruder, as a defense mechanism, secretes the calcium carbonate and conchiolin to cover the irritant. This secretion process is repeated many times, to seal off the irritation, thus producing a pearl.

Freshwater and saltwater pearls
Natural freshwater pearls form in various species of freshwater mussels, which live in lakes, rivers and ponds while salt water pearls grow within pearl oysters, which live in the oceans and seas.

Nacreous pearls are the best-known and most significant among pearls. A unique quality of these pearls is that while one family of nacreous pearl oysters lives in the sea, the other lives in freshwater.

Pearls are either natural or cultured. A natural pearl is one that forms without any human intervention at all while cultured pearls are pearls that have been formed by artificial means.

Natural pearls are rare and difficult to find and are therefore highly valued. Earlier natural pearls were found in many parts of the world while present day pearls are found mostly in the seas of Bahrain and in the Australian Indian Ocean. It is no wonder that the pearl is referred to as the Queen of the Sea.

Famous Pearls

Charles I: A famous pearl, now lost, destroyed, or hidden away by a discreet collector, was that of King Charles I.

Charles II: Like his predecessor, King Charles I, King Charles II possessed a remarkable pearl which was given to the monarch of Canary Island.

La Peregrina: Known once as the Phillip II pearl, La Peregrina, was once the most celebrated pearl of its time. Weighing 203.8 grains, La Peregrina was celebrated not only for its great size, but also its perfect pear shape, its perfect white color. It was owned by Queen Mary of Spain.

Imperial Hong Kong Pearl: The Imperial Hong Kong Pearl is one of the largest pearls ever found measuring 26mm by 39mm and weighs in at 25.5 grams. It is believed to have once belonged to Chinese royalty.

Abernethy Pearl: Perhaps the most famous is the Abernethy pearl. This one weights 44 grams and was collected by Bill Abernethy after whom it was named.

The Pearl of Asia: One of the largest natural pearls in the world is The Pearl of Asia. Discovered in the 17th century in India, it is 600 carats. It became the property of the King of Persia (currently Iran), who in turn gave it to the Chinese Emperor Qianlong. In China it was thought to bring happiness and good fortune.