"Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow,

He who would search for pearls

must dive below."

John Dryden

Prologue to All for Love

 1678

One of the most unique wonders of nature is the enchanting, yet understated, mysterious black pearl. It is the love child of the union of the shell or mollusk with a grain of sand, tiny stone, piece of shell, bone, coral or other foreign object.

In nature, a foreign body commonly called an "irritant" such as an errant food particle finds its way into the pearl oyster “accidentally,” and comes to rest within the body or mantle of the mollusk, such that it cannot be dislodged.

To protect its soft and vulnerable flesh, the mollusk or mussel isolates the intruder over time in concentric smooth layers of protective coating called aragonite: a variety of calcium carbonate (CaCo3) secreted by the mantle tissue of mollusks and conchiolin; the same substances that make up the inner lining of the shell or what is known as “mother of pearl”, as well as the pearl itself.

These lustrous layers are known as nacre, made of tiny crystals of calcium carbonate, perfectly aligned with each other such that when light passes along the axis of one, it is reflected and refracted by the other to produce a rainbow of light and color.

The crystal structure of the aragonite has three triangular sides which act like a tiny prism. Light reflecting from these tiny prisms in the pearl produces a characteristic shimmering iridescence which is called orient or lustre.

Over time, as layer upon layer of nacre coats the mollusk’s guest, a round pearl comes to birth. As a concentrically arranged radial circle or sphere around a central point, the pearl is a “mandala,” a Sanskrit word meaning magic circle, one of the most ancient spiritual symbols in the universe.

The longer the guest lies within the mollusk, the more layers of nacre are formed, the larger and better quality pearl will result. If the guest lodges against the insides of the mollusk shell, then layers of nacre will cover him against the shell, thus resulting in a half-round pearl called "mabe’."

Reflection occurs when light bounces off the pearl surface, which acts like a mirror. The smoother the surface, the brighter the pearl will become.

Refraction occurs when light passes through the pearl. The transparent aragonite acts like a prism bending the light as it passes through the pearl. Some of the light bounces off the aragonite layers. The more transparent the aragonite layers, the more readily light can pass through and delve deeper into the pearl.

Combination of Reflection & Refraction produces what is strangely known as “interference”  which increases surface luster, inner luminosity and orient, giving the impression of a glowing, translucent sphere. This is when the pearl radiates iridescent light.

This natural process of creating a solid luminescent pearl can take up to seven or eight years.

Whether wholly or half-round, as pure organic byproducts of nature, pearls have been highly coveted as a symbol of hope for wounded hearts, as well wisdom, virtue and wealth.

The black-lipped pearl oyster found in French Polynesian waters is not really an oyster per se; but bivalve mollusks, meaning that they have two shells (also called valves) which house and protect their body parts. The external shell consists of two dorsally hinged valves. Classified in the family Pteriidae, they are not closely related to the edible oysters of the ‘Ostreidae’ family.

The black-lipped oyster’s life span is up to an astonishing 30 years! Known for its larger size, it can grow up to 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter and weigh as much as 11 lbs. (5 kilos). At its peak of productivity, the oyster can grow between 6 to 8 inches (15.2 to 20.3 cm) in diameter. The large size of the black-lipped oyster allows large pearls to enjoy enough space to gestate.

One of the unique qualities of pearl oysters is that they are hermaphrodites, an obvious symbol of completeness, the higher Self or the treasure hard to attain! Having both male and female sex organs, they start life as males and change into females after two or three years depending on their surrounding water conditions. It is as if their life cycle consisted of being birthed by the feminine as males, exploring nature and experiencing the fecundating powers of masculinity, before returning to the womb and rediscovering the life-giving feminine matrix of creation.

The female oyster can potentially release millions of eggs into the water, which are then fertilized externally by the male’s sperm. In any particular population of pearl oysters, there are as many males as there are females. For both, the reproductive organs function only during the five brief months from October through February.

After the eggs are fertilized, they undergo a process of cell division. Eggs hatch and the oysters pass through various larval phases while freely swimming in the water. Each egg goes through a veritable metamorphosis. Twenty four days later, the eggs become D-shaped larvae and start crawling on the bottom of the sea before they finally metamorphose into juvenile pearl oysters, attaching themselves to hard substrates and reef habitats as deep as 40 meters. Out of about a million fertilized eggs, only one in ten reaches maturity.

Black-lipped oysters feed by filtering water across their gills to trap plankton and other digestible materials. They constantly ingest and expel sand and irritants. It’s only when something becomes trapped in the oyster that it starts producing nacre.

Since most wild, natural pearl producing beds are regrettably lost to over-fishing, oil spills and pollution, today most pearls are farmed or cultivated. Even so, cultured pearls share the same properties as natural pearls. The only difference is that a highly skilled technician or grafter opens the shell and surgically inserts a spherical nucleus of mussel shell into the oyster in order to coax the oyster into creating a pearl. From here onwards, the oyster naturally builds up successive layers of nacre made from aragonite and conchiolin, et voila! A pearl is born! The brilliance and thickness of the pearl depends upon the water temperature. The color and surface quality depend on the oyster’s interaction with its surrounding environment and the nutrients contained in the water.

It takes about two to three years for the pearl to form in a seeded oyster. A long and caring relationship between human and the Goddess of the sea is required before harvesting. Constant tender loving care must be lavished on the strings of oysters which need to be monitored and lowered or raised depending on variations in water temperature and current.

Harvesting pearls is also a difficult, time-consuming process requiring a caring relationship between humans as midwives assisting with the labors of nature. Of more than a million oysters and muscles ‘seeded’ each year, only about thirty percent survive to bear pearls.

Even so, like the ugly duckling, many of those produced are rejected for not being of marketable quality! This is what makes the wholesome colorful luminous survivor pearl with thick nacre and an inner glow, "a pearl of great price!"

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