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The Cultured Pearls
In the past, pearl hunting is the most typical method of harvesting pearls. Deep sea divers in the Philippines manually and individually open the oyster's shell in search for a pearl. This practice is repetitive and tiresome because not all oysters produce ideal pearls.
Japan provides majority of the world's supply of cultured saltwater pearls. The Japanese pearl farmers have perfected this method for more than a hundred years. Cultured saltwater pearls are formed through the inclusion of the mother-of-pearl bead into a portion of mantle tissue in the part of the oyster's inner shell. This technique is tedious and meticulous because the oyster shells are first placed in a specially designed cage. These cages are hanged in a pearl farm. However, it lessens the time frame of producing a quality pearl. In fact, a single cultivated saltwater pearl takes an average of four years (out of ten in an ordinary method) to be formed.
Kokichi Mikimoto, a Japanese diver, became the first ever developer of the so-called mariculture or pearl farming in 1896. The Akoya pearls of Japan is one of the world's first cultured pearl. Its average size is six centimeters.
The Chinese is highly considered as the world's number one cultivator of freshwater pearls. Historical records have shown that it was done by many coastal-living Chinese for the past centuries. Freshwater pearls (also known as the Chinese Pearls) are produced by placing a tiny portion of mantle tissue from one mussel into the second mussel. These kinds of pearls are produced in high quantity than the saltwater pearls. They are usually oblong shaped and are far more cheaper than other pearls. Other freshwater pearl shapes include the round and near-round. Aside from making it as jewelry, it is also used in cosmetic lines (a prime ingredient in make-up) and medicines.
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