pearl mineral?

Question

why isnt pearl a mineral?

Answer 1

Because Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes and a pearl is typically formed by an oyster.

A pearl is actually formed by an animal in the mollusk phylum and is made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the form of the minerals aragonite or calcite (both crystalline forms of calcium carbonate) held together by an organic horn-like compound called conchiolin.This combination of calcium carbonate and conchiolin is called nacre, or as most know it, mother-of-pearl.



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Answer 2

Pearl is composed of a substance called "nacre," which is a combination of the minerals aragonite and calcite along with a substance called conchiolin. While aragonite and calcite are considered minerals, conchiolin is not.

The reason for this is due to the fact that part of the technical definition for a mineral defines it as having to be an inorganic substance. Conchiolin, however, is an organic compound composed of, among other things, proteins.

So, while it is true that pearl is composed, in part, by a mineral, it is also composed, in part, by a non-mineral.

Contrary to what someone stated previously, minerals CAN be made by animals. The calcium carbonate shells of molluscs, for example, are still considered to be mineralic substances. But if the substance is composed, in any part, by organic compounds (such as proteins), it cannot be considered a mineral.

Answer 3

Calcium is not a mineral, its an element. A pearl cannot technical be called a mineral. However is can be called a gem.