June Birthstone - Pearl Jewellery
Pearls are formed in molluscs, especially oysters and mussels, when anything enters the mollusc and it is deemed an irritant. The irritant could even be a few grains of sand or grit. The irritant is then encapsulated by many fine layers of iridescent nacre, also known as aragonite, secreted by the soft tissue called ‘the mantle’ next to the hinge of the mollusc. These layers build up to form a solid pearl with an iridescent lustre known as the ‘orient of the pearl’. This is now a natural pearl. Natural pearls are extremely rare and thus the method of culturing pearls is widely used today, so instead of waiting for an irritant to enter the mollusk, man simply introduces one. Cultured pearls come in a variety of colours, with South Sea pearls from Australia and China being a fine silvery white and a warm yellow, whilst Tahitian pearls from Tahiti occurring in a myriad of greens. Pearls are meant to enhance the virtues of modesty, chastity and purity within the wearer.