Pearl Gemstone Information

pearl, inci

About Pearls – History and Introduction Pearls are organic gemstones that are formed by shelled molluscs; mainly bivalved oysters and mussels. Pearls are made up of nacre (mother-of-pearl) which is mostly aragonite (calcium carbonate) and conchiolin (complex proteins that form mollusc shells). The aragonite microcrystals build up around an irritant. The name “pearl” is said to have originated from the Middle English word “perle”, which in turn came from the Latin word “perna”, meaning “leg”, thought to be due to the ham-leg shape of the bivalve mollusc. Natural pearls are…

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