Pearl - one of the most popular precious stones. It was as if lit from within, which could not but attract the connoisseurs of art since ancient times. It is not surprising that by the early twentieth century when few people even heard about what a cultured pearl formed by a serious shortage of this beautiful stone. Unlike other gems, pearls are not in the bowels of the earth, and in the shells of mollusks, where it occurs naturally in a few years. Pearl led in popularity of some of these mollusks to almost complete extinction.
The way out was found by the Japanese Kokichi Mikimoto, who was able to provide a method of pearl cultivation in artificial conditions. In the wild pearl, formation occurs when the random grain of sand falls into a conch shell. Incredibly sensitive mantle mollusk for its protection starts to produce a special substance - Pearl - which layer by layer covers grit. That is how the stone is formed, which is so valued by humans for several years. Mikimoto learned how to artificially create the conditions to re-create the process. To create cultured pearls clam was placed in a natural environment and the mantle of the artificially placed a small ball of nacre. In fact, to this artificially implanted ball rose a real jewel, leaving the same number of years that would be required to create a pearl in nature.
Cultured pearls are to be distinguished from the artificial. A method of creating cultured pearls almost no different from the natural, except for corn, from which it was grown. When you create cultured pearl mussels are not used, the simulation is carried out exclusively by means of man-made technologies. Cultured pearls can have a variety of shapes and colors, but even the best quality simulation can not fully replicate the texture and glow of pearls, created by the mollusk.
As a rule, artificial pearls natural and easier it is perfectly smooth. In addition, it does not have the elasticity inherent in pearls, created by mussels - if you throw it on a smooth surface, it will roll, while natural or cultured rebound from it. Another important difference between cultured pearls - the absence of special inner glow, for which so prized natural pearls.
Cultured pearls are usually different from the natural form only. The fact that the shape of the pearl depends on the grain from which it grew. The basis for cultured pearls are usually pearl bead is smooth, so cultured pearls, as a rule, have a more regular, rounded shape than the natural ones.