23/07/2024
It’s interesting how pearls are formed.
Unlike most gems or precious stones that are gotten from the earth, pearls are gotten from animals.
Pearls are products of the sea animals called oysters.
They are a result of a biological process that takes place when an oyster protects itself from foreign substances.
Pearls are made from the same material that surrounds them.
When an irritant gets into the shell of an oyster, an immune response is triggered and the oyster secrets a thin, shiny substance called nacre - to protect its soft body against the irritant.
Nacre is also known as the mother-of-pearl.
Gradually, calcium carbonate and protein keep coating the nacre and eventually smoothen it out to give a round, perfect shape.
Small pearls take about 6 months to form and for bigger pearls, the wait time could be up to four years.
Natural pearls are very rare.
About 1 or 2 out of 10 to 15 thousand wild oysters fished out from the sea, would have pearls.
Thus, humans being humans, artificially insert irritants into live oysters - to prompt pearl formation.
Pearls can go from $100 for the smallest freshwater pearl, to millions of USD per piece.
It might also interest you to know that real pearls are delicate and not recommended for daily wear.
Waooo🤔🤔🤔🤔
゚viralシfypシ゚viralシalシ
