Pearl species - natural or cultured

Natural pearls are very rare because they form naturally in molluscs (without human intervention). The process of pearl growth occurs when a parasite, sand or other foreign body enters a mollusk. Over time, the mollusk covers the foreign body with a mother-of-pearl, thus forming a pearl. The mother-of-pearl is the inner layer of the shell of mollusks, formed of thin plates of calcium carbonate and organics. The chemical composition of pearl and mother of pearl is the same. It is worth noting that the price of a real pearl is very high, because it is extremely difficult for them to form naturally. Cultured pearls, like natural ones, grow in mollusks, but the process itself is different - a person implants a nucleus in a mollusk. The pearl grows from eighteen months to four years (depending on the type of pearl). Cultivated freshwater pearls - grown in lakes and ponds This type of pearl is one of the most common on the market today.