Pearls come from molluscs. Molluscs are a group of animals which includes squids, clams and oysters.
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The mollusc has a mantle or outer skin under its shell. When a particle of dirt, or tiny marine creature gets stuck in this mantle, a hard substance forms around it. This makes the pearl. It is formed of the same material as the mother of pearl. Pearls come in many shapes and colours. The most valuable ones are very smooth, spherical and usually white. But there is a black pearl from the Gulf of Mexico. It is also extremely valuable.
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The mollusc has a mantle or outer skin under its shell. When a particle of dirt, or tiny marine creature gets stuck in this mantle, a hard substance forms around it. This makes the pearl. It is formed of the same material as the mother of pearl. Pearls come in many shapes and colours. The most valuable ones are very smooth, spherical and usually white. But there is a black pearl from the Gulf of Mexico. It is also extremely valuable.
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The Chinese were the first people who discovered how to stimulate the production of pearls. They put the mollusc into a shallow pond, insert a speck of mud into the mantle, and wait for the pearl to form. After a couple of months they would detach the pearl from the mollusc’s mantle.
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