My friend told me that some REAL pearls will start to form a new pearl, a "baby" pearl she said. She even showed me an example (not a very good one) of a pearl necklace she owned and one of the pearls had a little bump. Can a pearl expert give me the lowdown on this? Thanks
2006-09-19 00:59:31 · 4 answers · asked by jyc4282 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
No...Pearls are formed indiviually by clams or oysters. It's their reaction to a grain of sand or some other irritant in their mantle. They simply form a smoothe shell around the irritant. Pearls DON'T have babies!!
The little bump on your friend's pearl, was simply an irregularly shaped irritant that had been covered...probably a parasitic worm that got into the clam.
2006-09-19 01:08:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, pearls do not have babies. Pearls are formed when something (usually a grain of sand) gets inside of a mollusk. The mollusk generates a protective secretion that envelopes the grain of sand so that it stays separate from the shell. if she had a pearl with a bump, then, more than likely, whatever got into the mollusk was shaped like that to start with.
2006-09-19 01:11:47 · answer #2 · answered by jojo 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Pearls are created when a foreign object such as sand gets into the oyster's shell. The object irritates the membrane of the oyster and its response is to secrete nacre to coat the object -- relieve pain. Layers of nacre continuously build up, slowly, over time creating the pearl. The example your friend showed you is probably due to the uneven shape of the initial foreign object.
They are lovely. I prefer the gold tinted ones.
2006-09-19 01:09:16 · answer #3 · answered by reynwater 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
lol i dont think so maybe she showed you some fake pearls
2006-09-19 01:08:42 · answer #4 · answered by avbb2006 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋