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A brief history of pearls |
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SOUTH SEA PEARL HARVESTING
South Sea pearls usually take between 2 and 3 years to develop, and during that time, they develop an exceptionally thick coating of nacre. In fact, the nacre coating on South Sea pearls may be the thickest of all saltwater cultured pearls.
Harvesting South Sea Pearls
After the cultivation period, the White lipped oysters that produce South Sea pearls are removed from the bays in which they are kept. They're brought ashore and placed in a laboratory-like environment. Technicians pry their shells open to remove the pearls, and in doing so, they must be incredibly careful not to damage the pearls or permanently harm the oyster.
Healthy oysters are implanted with another nucleus so they will produce another pearl. Oysters that die, are not healthy enough or did not produce a quality pearl are discarded. Each healthy oyster may be implanted with a new nucleus up to four more times before it can no longer produce quality pearls.
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