Culturing Freshwater Pearls

Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Pearls and Pearl Beads and other Beadwork topics.

Does more than one pearl come from an animal?

Culturing Freshwater Pearls

Freshwater rice pearls (and other freshwater varieties) have a unique little quality. When they are cultured, farmers don't use a bead as the nucleus to begin forming the pearl. a bit of another mussel's mantle tissue, which is the tissue that secretes mother of pearl. However, I'll bet you didn't know that the pearl farmer can insert more than one bit of mantle into the animal's tissue. That means that one mussel or freshwater oyster can produce up to 50 pearls at once.

   

Comments

Nobody has commented on this tip yet. Be the first.



Name:


URL: (optional)


Comment:


Not finding the advice and tips you need on this Beadwork Tip Site? Request a Tip Now!


Guru Spotlight
Byron White