We're so glad to know that you learned all about the inside of an oyster, Annabella! Not all pearls cost the same amount of money, sometimes it depends on the size, weight, and look of the pearl itself.
Usually larger pearls are more expensive, as are pearls of different colors. Some pearls are produced by oysters, as we learned today. Other times, pearls are made in factories. Great Wonders, Annabella!
We Wonder if you can do some research of your to find out how long it takes to form a pearl. We're very proud of you, Talia! Hey Wonder Friends Haylei and Remington! You did a great job of summarizing what you learned from our oyster Wonder! Nice work! We're so glad you liked our pearl Wonder! Thank you for sharing your comment with us! We hope you will explore other Wonders and learn some cool new facts with us today!
Thanks for spreading the Wonder about pearls, Cherry! We're glad you learned something new with us-- it's like a pearl of wisdom when we Wonder together! Hi there, Wonder Friend Arleth! We're thrilled to hear that you learned something new today with us! Thanks for sharing your comment, Wondergirl11! Hooray, we're so happy that you liked today's Wonder, Berkleigh! You're a pearl of a Friend! Hi there, Wonder Friend Camdyn!
Hi there, Grace! We have lots of Wonder Friends who take turns responding to Wonder comments! Hi there Wonder Friend SoftballRocks44! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience. Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. Want to add a little wonder to your website? Help spread the wonder of families learning together.
We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. Does every oyster have a pearl? What are cultured pearls? What are baroque pearls? Tags: See All Tags animals , baroque , clam , cultured , jewelry , mantle , mussel , nacre , natural , Oceans , oyster , pearl. Wonder What's Next?
Go ahead and blink! Try It Out Are you ready to learn more about pearls? Be sure to check out the following activities with a friend or family member: Ask an adult friend or family member to take you on a field trip to a local jewelry store.
What are you looking for? Pearls, of course! Ask to see a variety of different types of pearls. What quality are they? How expensive are they? Would you ever wear pearl jewelry? Why or why not? Are pearls always white? You might think so, if you've ever heard your teeth referred to as your "pearly whites. Visit National Geographic online to learn more about Black Pearls. Wouldn't it be nice if things that got under your skin and irritated you turned into pearls?
Would you believe they can? Irritations in your life won't turn into actual pearls that you could make a necklace out of. However, the things that get on our nerves can eventually turn into pearls…of wisdom! When life gets you down and things irritate you, keep your eyes open. Maybe there's a lesson you're supposed to learn.
Cultivate patience and persevere through the rough times. The lessons you learn from such times can often help you deal with — or avoid — similar situations in the future. So when life hands you lemons, make lemonade! If something is irritating you, be patient and see what you can learn from the situation. The pearls of wisdom that form can become jewels of knowledge that help you countless times in the future!
Did you get it? Test your knowledge. What are you wondering? Wonder Words mussel pry precious jewel baroque cultured necklace earring diamond sapphire biological foreign substance irritant mantle nacre wisdom persevere Take the Wonder Word Challenge. Join the Discussion. Geoff Aug 13, I read every comment and reply on this article and you all have me impressed and proud.
It is incredibly refreshing to see such kindness and positivity. I'm really hoping you're all told this often, because what you're doing is something special. I wonder all the time about things but never seek the answers, but you all have inspired me and I am determined to wonder more and learn more wonderful things about the planet we live on. Thanks again, Geoff. Aug 14, Hello Wonder-Team, This is the first article of yours that I have found and read.
I just wanted to google "Is it a clam or an oyster that makes pearls? I work with my hands and she's an educator and she's pretty cool and stuff. Your last three suggestions to try, specifically the third -- I mean -- I came to figure one thing out on google, but instead, I learned that one thing and also got to read such a wholesome thought. What kind of Google search was this!?
I want more of these! You've got yourselves a bookmark slot ; Also, the article itself was wonderfully written!! Thank you, Geoff. Bensyn Mar 12, The process of making a pearl was more interesting than I thought it would be.
You're telling me there are more colors!!!!!!!! Mar 13, We thought that was pretty cool, too. John the doge Jan 16, Robot Jan 14, Jan 16, As the oyster grows in size, its shell must also grow. The mantle is an organ that produces the oyster's shell, using minerals from the oyster's food. The material created by the mantle is called nacre. Nacre lines the inside of the shell. It's kind of like the oyster getting a splinter. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself.
This eventually forms a pearl. So a pearl is a foreign substance covered with layers of nacre. Most pearls that we see in jewelry stores are nicely rounded objects, which are the most valuable ones. Not all pearls turn out so well. Some pearls form in an uneven shape -- these are called baroque pearls. Pearls, as you've probably noticed, come in a variety of various colors, including white, black, gray, red, blue and green.
Most pearls can be found all over the world, but black pearls are indigenous to the South Pacific. Cultured pearls are created by the same process as natural pearls, but are given a slight nudge by pearl harvesters.
To create a cultured pearl, the harvester opens the oyster shell and cuts a small slit in the mantle tissue. Small irritants are then inserted under the mantle. In freshwater cultured pearls, cutting the mantle is enough to induce the nacre secretion that produces a pearl -- an irritant doesn't have to be inserted. So, the real question is, how are pearls made? In order to understand how oysters make pearls, you must understand an oyster's body composition. Oysters, which are a type of mollusk, have two shells.
Each shell features a protective layer that covers the mollusk's organs. This protective layer is called the mantle, and it is responsible for safeguarding vital organs that keep the mollusk alive. Although pearl clams and mussels exist, they are incredibly rare. N early all high-quality pearls come from oysters.
The Birth of a Pearl Oysters make pearls in response to an irritant, such as a grain of sand or another object. When any irritant makes its way between the mollusk's shell and mantle, the creature produces nacre, a protective coating that helps reduce irritation.
Nacre is also referred to as mother-of-pearl; it's made of microscopic crystals of calcium carbonate, and it also lines the interior of a mollusk's shell. Layers of nacre coat the irritant, eventually forming an iridescent gem the pearl.
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