Pearl Education

The arrival of the Iberian Conquerors

The Native Nations had no real interest in establishing a commercial venture in pearl fishing and we understand little to nothing of the way they fished for pearls, since most of the information was either lost or destroyed during the conquest of Mexico. The rich plunder of the Conquistadores was sent to Spain and later dispersed all over Europe. The most significant information we have on the subject comes from the period of colonization of...

A review: The History of Pearls in the Gulf of California, Mexico
By Douglas McLaurin-Moreno


Since unrecorded time, man has obtained many bounties from the world’s oceans: food, shells, corals, sponges, seaweeds, and the most desirable of all of these were the beautiful mother-pf-pearl shells and their valuable treasure, Pearls.

Mexico has four species of pearl oysters inhabiting its coasts, two -the larger sized- on the Pacific side: the Panamic Black Lip oyster (Pinctada mazatlanica)...

By C. Denis George Abstract by Anna Kerrig

Historical Aspects on the Early Discovery of the Pearl Cultivating Technique

Japanese scientists, Nishikawa and Mise are typically recognized for discovering the technology that led to cultivating spherical pearls. C. Denis George was an Australian enthusiast who challenged the credit given to the Japanese for this discovery. George argues that Nishikawa and Mise's step-father were first exposed to successful pearl cultivation at Thursday Island...

Saltwater Pearls Defined
A saltwater pearl is a calcium concretion (can be nacreous or non-nacreous) produced by a saltwater mollusk that lives in a saline/marine environment. These pearls can be either natural (no human intervention in its production and a product of a fishing operation) or cultured (produced with human intervention by means of pearl farming).

Natural Saltwater Pearls
Traditionally, most pearls were fished from saltwater-dwelling mollusks in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea...

Natural Pearls Defined

Natural pearls are calcium carbonate secretions which form within mollusks without human intervention.



Natural Pearls - Accidents of Nature

Natural pearls are formed randomly and really are simple accidents of nature. When a certain type of irritant, such as a parasite, becomes lodged in the tissue of a mollusk, the animal responds by secreting a calcium carbonate substance called nacre to coat the intruder and protect the mollusk. Over a period of several...

Measuring Pearl Quality
Pearl quality and thus, the value of a pearl is measured according to a combination of several varied factors are: the type of pearl, the thickness of its nacre, its luster, the cleanliness and texture of its surface, its shape, its color, and its size.


Because the pearl is a naturally occurring organic gemstone, created by living creatures, these factors can and do vary widely. Although all of them affect the ultimate value of a given pearl, some of the factors are...