The word pearl derives from a Latin word for the thigh-bone, which had been given to a thigh-shaped mollusc.
Cleopatra once gave a lavish banquet for Mark Antony at Alexandra. The Roman expressed his surprise at the outlay involved. Cleopatra, to impress him further, took a pearl eardrop and dissolved it in vinegar to prove she could consume a fortune in a single meal.
Queen Elizabeth I of England liked to wear pearls the size of beans as she liked to be thought of as the goddess of the moon. (The moon is shaped like a pearl).
After many unsuccessful attempts, July 11, 1893, is recorded as the date on which Kokichi Mikimoto created the first cultured pearl. Mikimoto created it on the Japanese island of Ojima, which became a centre for pearl production and had its name changed to Mikimoto Pearl Island.
Nikola Tesla could not stand the sight of pearls, to the extent that he refused to speak to women wearing them.
The Pearl of of Lao Tzu weighing 14lb, was discovered in the Philippines on May 7, 1934 and is about the size of a basketball. For many decades it was the world’s largest pearl. Its most recent valuation is $75 million (£51 million).
A Philippines fisherman found the world's largest pearl in a giant clam and kept it under his bed for ten years. It was revealed in August 2016 when his wooden shack burned down. The pearl is 30 cm wide (1 ft) and 67 cm long (2.2 ft) and weighs 75lb (34kg). It is valued at $117 million (£80million).
Pearls come in eight shapes: round, semi-round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque and circled.
Natural pearls form from a substance called nacre, the substance that lines the inner sides of an oyster's shell. It is produced by a mollusc in response to damage or injury.
Pearls are made mainly of calcium carbonate.
Pearls cannot be found in edible oysters. Pearl producing oysters come from the genus Pinctada; edible ones are of the Ostreidae family.
Only about one in 10,000 wild oysters contains a pearl. Of those, only a small percentage achieve the size, shape and color desirable to the jewellery industry.
Natural pearls form from a substance called nacre, which is produced by a mollusc in response to damage or injury.
Cultured pearls are formed by inserting small beads and a piece of donor mantle tissue into the reproductive organ of a oyster, thus tricking the mollusc into producing nacre.
The development of cultured pearls ruined the economy of Kuwait for a time. The Middle Eastern country was heavily dependent on pearl fishing before oil was discovered there.
Real pearl necklaces and bracelets have knots tired between them to keep them from damaging each other. Most fakes do not.
Source Daily Express
PEARLS IN HISTORY
Cleopatra once gave a lavish banquet for Mark Antony at Alexandra. The Roman expressed his surprise at the outlay involved. Cleopatra, to impress him further, took a pearl eardrop and dissolved it in vinegar to prove she could consume a fortune in a single meal.
Queen Elizabeth I of England liked to wear pearls the size of beans as she liked to be thought of as the goddess of the moon. (The moon is shaped like a pearl).
After many unsuccessful attempts, July 11, 1893, is recorded as the date on which Kokichi Mikimoto created the first cultured pearl. Mikimoto created it on the Japanese island of Ojima, which became a centre for pearl production and had its name changed to Mikimoto Pearl Island.
Nikola Tesla could not stand the sight of pearls, to the extent that he refused to speak to women wearing them.
A Philippines fisherman found the world's largest pearl in a giant clam and kept it under his bed for ten years. It was revealed in August 2016 when his wooden shack burned down. The pearl is 30 cm wide (1 ft) and 67 cm long (2.2 ft) and weighs 75lb (34kg). It is valued at $117 million (£80million).
FUN PEARL FACTS
Pearls come in eight shapes: round, semi-round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque and circled.
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| By MASAYUKI KATO - Wikipedia Commons |
Natural pearls form from a substance called nacre, the substance that lines the inner sides of an oyster's shell. It is produced by a mollusc in response to damage or injury.
Pearls are made mainly of calcium carbonate.
Pearls cannot be found in edible oysters. Pearl producing oysters come from the genus Pinctada; edible ones are of the Ostreidae family.
 |
| A pearl being extracted from an akoya pearl oyster. |
Only about one in 10,000 wild oysters contains a pearl. Of those, only a small percentage achieve the size, shape and color desirable to the jewellery industry.
Natural pearls form from a substance called nacre, which is produced by a mollusc in response to damage or injury.
Cultured pearls are formed by inserting small beads and a piece of donor mantle tissue into the reproductive organ of a oyster, thus tricking the mollusc into producing nacre.
The development of cultured pearls ruined the economy of Kuwait for a time. The Middle Eastern country was heavily dependent on pearl fishing before oil was discovered there.
Real pearl necklaces and bracelets have knots tired between them to keep them from damaging each other. Most fakes do not.
Source Daily Express
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