pearl oyster
Nacre-producing bivalve shell
A pearl oyster is any of several bivalve mollusks that can produce pearls, particularly species of the genus *Pinctada*.
Unlike the oysters eaten as food, pearl oysters are cultivated primarily for their nacre—the iridescent material lining their shells that forms pearls when the mollusk coats an irritant.
The pearl oysters were carefully tended in underwater farms.
Farming underwater organisms
- seedingPlanting or ranking
- graftingJoining tissues to grow together
- nucleationInitial cluster formation
- harvestGathering mature crops
spat · mantle · nacre · lagoon · bead · technician · incubation · larvae
Polished precious stone
- jewelryOrnamental personal accessories
- necklaceNeck-worn ornament
- strandThin fiber piece
- baroqueExcessively ornate or elaborate
cultured · natural · lustrous · precious · adornment · valuable · heirloom · rarity
Two-shelled mollusk
- shellHard outer covering
- mantleCovering or wrap
- hingeMovable connecting joint
- adductorMuscle pulling toward center
nacre · valve · muscle · gills · foot · epithelium · secretion · calcium carbonate
Iridescent shell coating
- lusterSoft reflected light
- shimmerTremulous, wavering light
- sheenSoft surface luster
- opalescentShowing milky iridescence
nacreous · gleaming · luminous · orient · glistening · reflective · pearlescent · translucent
aquaculture
Farming underwater organisms
- seedingPlanting or ranking
- graftingJoining tissues to grow together
- nucleationInitial cluster formation
harvest · spat · mantle · nacre · lagoon · bead · technician · incubation · larvae · fouling
gem
Polished precious stone
baroque · cultured · natural · lustrous · precious · adornment · valuable · heirloom · rarity · Mikimoto
bivalve
Two-shelled mollusk
adductor · nacre · valve · muscle · gills · foot · epithelium · secretion · calcium carbonate · aragonite
nacre
Iridescent shell coating
opalescent · nacreous · gleaming · luminous · orient · glistening · reflective · pearlescent · translucent · glimmering
reef
Underwater rock or coral formation
- sea bedUnderwater terrain surface
- lagoonSheltered coastal shallows
- mangroveTidal shrub with exposed roots
estuary · tropical · Indo-Pacific · atoll · coral · tidal · warm waters · substrate · plankton · phytoplankton
- invertebratesinvertebrate, arthropod, arthropods, mollusk, crustacean
- bivalvesclams, clam, mussels, scallops, mussel
- mollusksclams, mollusk, mollusks, snail, snails
- Pearlsnacre, luster, nucleation, nucleus, opalescence
- oyster mushrooms
- pearl mollusks