3 Review(s)

Pearls are now preferred to diamonds - for a long time, then, pearls were thought of as a badge of respectability, almost of authority rather than the exotic and fascinating jewels that they are.Formed when a scrap of grit, a parasite, a bit of broken shell, enters an unwary oyster's shell, the final, exquisite, gleaming pearl is the result of layer upon layer of a substance known as nacre, secreted by the oyster and wrapped round the foreign body to prevent further damage to the oyster's soft tissues.Nor can you cut it and shape it as you can with other gems.