As the oyster grows, its shell must expand. This growth is facilitated by the mantle, a thin tissue layer that secretes calcium carbonate and organic proteins to build the shell. Pearls form when ...

The oyster or mussel slowly secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin ... When pearls are cultured commercially an irritant is manually inserted into a mollusc to promote the production of mother-of ...

Let’s not forget the more glamorous side of the humble oyster – the pearl. A natural pearl will form in an oyster when a foreign object, like a grain of sand, gets inside the shell.

She’s right. Only about one in 10,000 wild oysters produce a pearl. According to research institute Texas Sea Grant, Pearls are formed when an irritant, like a grain of sand, enters the oyster ...