Boryana Kolf's Artspan Blog

The name of the pearl comes from the Latin word "pernula" and means seashell. Pearl is the the most ancient organic precious stone and from historical prospective is considered the most valuable. 

Chance of sand, small crustacean or a piece of seaweed or shell to fall naturally in the shell body and to begin to accumulate layers around it to create a pearl, is literally one of tens of thousands.

Pearls are formed due to the protective reaction of the mussels (species that have pearl shell) when foreign body (stimulus) fall into the insight of their shell. First the oyster tries to expel the intruder. If it fails to expel the foreign body, it becomes the core (the center) of the pearl and the oyster begins to secrete layers of protective pearl substance around the irritant in order to soften it. The "job" of the mussel for cultivating the pearls continues decades, to grow to the size of a pea, the pearls are needed nearly 12 years, and to reach 8 mm they need at least 30-40 years.

The sheer pearl layers are separated every second, every minute and every hour of the day. Some mussels "sleep" during certain periods when the water temperature becomes too low, while others - especially those in warm waters around the equator - are active throughout the year.

While the oyster wraps in layers the foreign body, it actually becomes part of the oyster. The oyster accepts the irritant, embraces it and changes it. The shell uses all the creative forces that are there to deal with the intruder, ensconced in her home and make it a perfect work of art.