Clouds

-The name comes from the ancient Greek word “marmairo” which means to shine and was dedicated to the view of Aphrodite.

-And while gemstones are found in the bowels of the earth, pearls are found at the bottom of the sea, at the heart of a living organism.

Pearl is a hard material that is produced from the soft tissues of living molluscs with shells! When a grain of sand or a parasite penetrates the shell of an oyster then the oyster is disturbed. The oyster, unable to drive off the “intruder”, produces a smooth hard crystalline substance called margarine (calcium carbonate) around it to protect itself. As long as the invader stays there the shell continues to produce layers of this substance until after some years it is trapped inside a smooth and shiny pearl.

-The most precious pearls form spontaneously in nature, but are very rare. Wild Pearls are referred to as natural pearls. Cultured pearls come from pearl-bearing shellfish,such as oysters and mussels.

-Depending on the oyster, the crustacean, the water conditions and the invader, the pearls take on a different colour. They are usually found in various colors and shades of silver, gold, blue, cream, pink, green, but also white and black.