Do Clams Have Pearls In Them

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Wonderopolis

SCIENCE — Life Science

Have You Ever Wondered...

Does every oyster have a pearl?
What are cultured pearls?
What are baroque pearls?

Today's Wonder of the Day was inspired by Kaden. Kaden Wonders, "Does every oyster have a pearl?" Thanks for WONDERing with us, Kaden!

Do you like jewelry? Whether you prefer necklaces or earrings, you probably like them with diamonds, rubies, sapphires or one of the many other types of precious jewels. If you love necklaces, you may be a big fan of pearls, too.

Do you know where pearls come from? They don't grow on trees. You can't plant them. They aren't mined out of the ground either. So where do pearls come from?

Pearls come from a living sea creature: the oyster. These beautiful round jewels are the result of a biological process within the oyster as it protects itself from foreign substances.

Although clams and mussels can also produce pearls, they don't do so very often. Most pearls are made by oysters, and they can be made in either freshwater or saltwater environments.

As oysters grow, an internal organ called the mantle uses minerals from the oyster's food to produce a substance called nacre. Nacre is the material that forms the oyster's shell.

Occasionally, a foreign substance, such as a grain of sand, may find its way into the oyster and get stuck between the mantle and the shell. This irritates the mantle, kind of like you might get irritated skin if you get a splinter of wood in your finger.

To protect itself, an oyster's natural reaction will be to cover up the irritant. It does so by causing the mantle to cover the irritant with layers of nacre. This substance, usually used to create the shell, will instead form a pearl.

The most beautiful pearls — the kind used for jewelry — are perfectly round. Not all pearls turn out this way, though. Some pearls form in uneven shapes. These less-than-perfect pearls are known as baroque pearls.

Most people think of pearls as being white. They can come in a variety of colors, though. Other common pearl colors include gray, red, blue, green and even black.

Pearls that form naturally inside of oysters are called natural pearls. Sometimes oysters get a bit of help from pearl harvesters, though. These people open oysters, cut small slits in the mantle and insert small irritants under the mantle. The pearls produced by this method are called cultured pearls.

Cultured and natural pearls are usually considered to be of equal quality. Cultured pearls are often less expensive, though, because they're not as rare. While any oyster — and clams and mussels — can produce pearls, some species of oysters are more likely to produce pearls, while others may be harvested primarily to serve as food.

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Try It Out

Are you ready to learn more about pearls? Be sure to check out the following activities with a friend or family member:

Ask an adult friend or family member to take you on a field trip to a local jewelry store. What are you looking for? Pearls, of course! Ask to see a variety of different types of pearls. What quality are they? How expensive are they? Would you ever wear pearl jewelry? Why or why not?
Are pearls always white? You might think so, if you've ever heard your teeth referred to as your "pearly whites." However, there are other colors of pearls out there. Visit National Geographic online to learn more about Black Pearls.
Wouldn't it be nice if things that got under your skin and irritated you turned into pearls? Would you believe they can? Irritations in your life won't turn into actual pearls that you could make a necklace out of. However, the things that get on our nerves can eventually turn into pearls…of wisdom! When life gets you down and things irritate you, keep your eyes open. Maybe there's a lesson you're supposed to learn. Cultivate patience and persevere through the rough times. The lessons you learn from such times can often help you deal with — or avoid — similar situations in the future. So when life hands you lemons, make lemonade! If something is irritating you, be patient and see what you can learn from the situation. The pearls of wisdom that form can become jewels of knowledge that help you countless times in the future!

Wonder Sources

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/marine-life/question630.htm (accessed 4 Jan. 2019)
http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/197-how-do-oysters-make-pearls.html (accessed 4 Jan. 2019)
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/oyster/ (accessed 4 Jan. 2019)

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We'd like to thank:

Viktora , Robert and Casey
for contributing questions about today's Wonder topic!

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Do Clams Have Pearls In Them

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Do Clams Have Pearls In Them