Vegans would argue that pearls aren't exactly cruelty free. According to PETA, culturing pearls involves surgically opening each oyster shell and inserting an irritant in the oyster, which is stressful to the animal.
No, pearls aren't vegan. Oysters and other mollusks only produce pearls as a response to a stressful environment, and it's speciesist to torment and kill an animal just because we think the end result is beautiful.
Bivalve mollusks do not have a central nervous system meaning they do not feel pain like most animals do.
Some pearl “farmers” will remove pearls from an oyster without killing them, keeping them alive to endure repeated insertions of foreign materials to continue making pearls.
If the oyster is deemed incapable of producing another pearl, a reputable and sustainable pearl farmer will humanely kill the oyster or sell it for food. Many disreputable oyster farmers cultivating pearls will simply force the oyster open once the pearl is ready for harvest and then toss it back into the sea to die.
Investing in a mined diamond may come at a higher ethical cost than pearls. If you've got your sights set on diamonds but would prefer to make a more conscious, eco-friendly purchase, consider a lab-grown diamond or diamond simulant instead.
Does removing the pearl kill oysters? Removing the pearl requires opening the shell which kills most types of oysters. There are some species who can produce more than one pearl. Those are harvested more carefully and are released back to the water if the pearl is good quality.
Oysters have a small heart and internal organs, but no central nervous system. Lack of a central nervous system makes it unlikely oysters feel pain, one reason some people who otherwise are vegetarians comfortable eating oysters.
The answer would be "YES". And this can happen to both cultured and natural pearls. What happens is that many pearls can grow within a very thin (just cell-thick) "pearl-sac" that can sometimes just "burst like a ballon" and the pearl is then released into the shell cavity and eventually even expelled out of it.
Water Pollution: Freshwater ecosystems are affected by pearl farming due to the application of chemicals. The vessel sewage treated with chemicals is a source of water pollution during pearl farming.
After the pearls are extracted from the oysters, one-third of oysters are “recycled” and put through the culturing process again. The others are killed and discarded.
How long does it take for a pearl to be produced? The process of producing a pearl can range from 6 months to several years. Even before this, it takes about 3 years for the mollusk to reach a mature age in order to produce a pearl.
Today, natural pearls are extremely rare. Only 1 in about 10,000 wild oysters will yield a pearl and of those, only a small percentage achieve the size, shape and colour desirable to the jewellery industry.
No, the majority of the world wouldn't consider pearls to be vegan. As the wide mollusc family who are responsible for producing pearls, of which oysters are the most notable, are part of the animal kingdom, their pearls too aren't strictly suitable for anyone on a plant-based diet.
Don't wear them in the swimming pool
Harmful chemicals such as chlorine in a pool can effect or cloud the lustre of a pearl and in some instances etch or pit the surface. Wearing a strand of pearls in water can also lead the silk thread they are strung with, to stretch.
While pearls may appear hard and shiny, the surface of a pearl is actually quite porous, and will absorb the natural oils from your body. If pearls are not worn every four months or so, they can dry out and become dull and yellowed.
Pearls are made by marine oysters and freshwater mussels as a natural defence against an irritant such as a parasite entering their shell or damage to their fragile body.
There is no obvious sign that an oyster has a pearl inside. You have to open the shell to see if there's one inside. However, larger, older oysters are more likely to have pearls.
Eating raw or undercooked oysters that contain Vibrio bacteria can make you ill. Some kinds of Vibrio bacteria cause the illness vibriosis. An oyster that contains Vibrio doesn't look, smell, or taste different from any other oyster.
Oysters are a rich source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins while being low in carbohydrates. Oysters help regulate blood pressure and improve blood circulation, which gives an overall good feeling. Oysters are often regarded as an aphrodisiac (stimulates sex drive).
But why do some people consider oysters to be vegan? Oysters are living creatures, so the assumption would be that they're not vegan. However, as oysters do not have a central nervous system, they are not believed to be sentient and so don't feel pain.
Divers collect pearl oysters, especially Pinctada maxima, from the sea and bring them to oyster farms. A bead is implanted into each oyster, and the oysters are put back in the water. The beads encourage the oysters to form pearls, which are harvested to make jewelry.
The Largest Pearl Ever Found: Discovery
The biggest recorded natural pearl in the world is the Pearl of Puerto. This pearl is often known as the Pearl of Puerto Princesa. A Filipino fisherman discovered it in the sea off the Philippine Islands. It weighs 75 pounds and is 2.2 feet long and wide.
When cut in half, you will see a real pearl's true nature. Natural pearls are made of layering nacre. When man-made pearls are cut in half, the coating tends to flake away from the cut. You can dye genuine or faux pearls by using commercially available fabric dyes.