natural pearls
Oyster-made treasures naturally
Natural pearls form inside mollusks without human intervention, created when the animal coats an irritant with layers of nacre over years.
They're distinguished from cultured pearls, which form around deliberately implanted nuclei, and from imitation pearls made of glass or plastic.
Natural pearls are rare and valuable: The necklace turned out to be natural pearls, not cultured.
- irritantSource of vexation
- molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
- oyster bedBivalve cultivation site
- ocean floorUnderwater continental surface
- calcium carbonateMineral in shells and marble
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