Pearls of June

Chinese freshwater pearl farms are the primary source of freshwater pearls. In these farms, each mussel undergoes a process called nucleation, where 24 to 32 tiny pieces of mantle tissue are surgically implanted into it. Once the tissue is inserted, a sac forms, and cells begin secreting nacre (pronounced NAY-ker), which forms a calcium-carbonate compound - a pearl. Over a period of 2 to 7 years, the mussels deposit layer upon layer of nacre around the growing gems, typically producing more than two dozen pearls clustered on the inside of each shell.