Why? Because edible oysters are from the family Ostreidae and are most often found near the surface of the water, whereas pearl oysters are from the family pteriidae, and can be found deep in the ocean.
The silver-lipped pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) is the largest pearl oyster in the world. The best known Australian pearl oysters are found in Broome, and are valued for their white-silver colour with pink hues, while pearl oyster meat is considered a delicacy.
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.
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. It is estimated that around a third to half of them are kept while the rest are killed.
Does Removing the Pearl Kill the Oyster? Around a third of the oysters are thrown back into the water to undergo another cycle. Whether or not they go through another round of this stressful experience, all animals used for pearls are ultimately killed.
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. A mollusk is only able to begin the pearl making process naturally or with the help of humans when it reaches this mature age.
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.
“Finding a pearl in an edible oyster is very rare,” Matthew Gray, Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, told CNN via email. “Anecdotally, it's estimated to be something like 1/10,000, but I think this is being generous.”
The Kimberley Region
The remoteness of the area ensures the oysters avoid contamination from pollutants and other unfavourable environmental conditions. Broome is the largest town in the Kimberley region and is the traditional home of Australia's Pearling industry.
Does the oyster die when the pearl is harvested? Typically, yes, but it also depends on the pearl farm!
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.
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. The oyster or mussel slowly secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin, materials that also make up its shell.
When a pearl in an oyster is ready, the harvester opens the shell, extracts the pearl and evaluates it for quality. Some oysters can produce two to three pearls over the course of their lifetime, but only an oyster with pearls of good quality will repeat the process of producing a pearl.
Pearl oysters have a nutty flavor with hints of sweetness and earthy undertones. They're slightly soft, but they also have a chewy texture. They're a thicker and more meaty mushroom when compared to summer mushrooms. So pearl oysters will hold up better in things like stir-fries.
Not just because of the unique color, size, shape, and place of origin, but also accounting for the fact that these gems are made by living oysters. The price of a pearl now averages between $300-1,500, and there are a few factors to consider when questioning both quality and value.
The lip determines the pearl color. While the white pearls are also priced by jewelers, the gold pearl variety is the most coveted color. The gold South sea pearl's color can range from creamy white to deep gold, and the darker the color, the more expensive it becomes.
Though classified as a gemstone, pearls are extremely unique, largely due to the fact that they are the only gem material formed and found within a living creature. Unlike diamonds, rubies, emeralds and more, pearls require no cutting or polishing before use and are simply stunning the way they naturally form.
Oysters have three-chambered hearts that pump colorless blood throughout their bodies. They breathe with gills, just like fish. Wild oysters can live 25 to 30 years, but typically most don't survive past six years.
The market is oversaturated with artificially-made and dyed pearls, which makes it quite tricky when it comes to identifying real pearls, particularly black ones. Quick Summary: Tahitian pearls, also known as black pearls are incredibly valuable. Even those of lowest quality can be found for $200 per pearl.
Black pearls are one of the most mysterious-looking of all colored pearls. Black pearls represent mystery, independence, strength, and riches. These pearls are great for women with a bit of edge to their style.
Black Pearl Price Range:
Dyed Black Freshwater Pearls: $50 - $1000. Dyed Black Akoya Pearls: $100 - $2000. Natural Color Black Tahitian Pearls: $250 - $30,000.
Features of the Pearl of Puerto
The massive Pearl of Puerto on display. This enormous, atypically formed pearl currently holds the title of the largest pearl in the world. The Pearl of Puerto is approximately 2.2 feet long and one foot wide. It has an enormous weight of 75 pounds.
One fascinating discovery about the sex of pearl oysters is its influence on pearl quality. Males produce high-valued pearls compared to females. They also produce pearls with good features such as luster, smoothness and evenness, while the pearls produced by females have scratches and are uneven.
While most mollusks produce mother of pearl, the same cannot be said for pearl gemstones. In fact, only a very low percentage of mollusks produce pearls. Even with advances in pearl cultivation that create ideal conditions for pearl development, an oyster or mussel developing a pearl is never guaranteed.