Up until the 1960s, practically every person in this country utilized clams on a daily basis. They possibly didn’t know it, but several buttons were once produced from parts of clam shells. Clam beds within the big rivers in the southern and eastern United States had been commercially harvested for their shells, which had been utilized to create pearl buttons. Southern states, especially, possess a long tradition of mussel harvesting and several people made their living picking, selling, and purchasing shells for the button industry.

With the advent of plastics and other man-made materials, the need for mussel shells decreased substantially. Nevertheless, in recent years interest in commercially harvesting mussels has boomed. A whole new use for mussel shells has surfaced and the pressure to harvest big amounts of shells has become strong.

The cultured pearl market has found out a fast method to create pearls by taking a form of good quality mussel shell and depositing it right into a living oyster. Natural pearls are deformities within the shell of the clam or oyster. When a piece of foreign matter, such as a grain of sand, gets lodged between the organism’s shell and inner tissues, the oyster covers it with a secretion or nacre called mother-of-pearl. Over the course of several many years more layers are laid around the intruding bit of material, creating a tough, white-colored object, known like a pearl. Sometimes these pearls are spherical, others are differently shaped.

Pearls are valuable mainly because they are rare and demand is high. Cultured pearls are desirable mainly because they can be created relatively quick by taking big pieces of mussel shells which are the same color as mother-of-pearl and adding only a layer or two of nacre. This can save up to several many years of time, thus far more pearls can be produced quicker and cheaper. By utilizing perfectly round pieces of shell, you may get consistently round pearls for a less expensive price so far more people can afford to acquire them.

Although Tahitian pearl jewelry is often in demand, it’s also true that Oriental cultures value powdered pearls as a medicinal treatment. Pearls may also be utilized by biological supply houses as well as for some costume jewelry manufacturing.

Sandra Solivagant Samson has expertise in Tahitian pearl jewelry and author of quite a few engaging e-books.

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