Tissue size
Tissue size
Dear Ricardo,
The size, shape, and location of the tissue implant all affect the outcome. The age of the donor mussel also is important. The older the donor mussel, the lower the relative content of conchiolin secreting cell clusters. That means tissue from older mussels gives you higher grade pearls. There is a catch, however. The tissue that forms the pearl sac only lives as long as the donor mussel would have lived. That means, if you use tissue from a mussel that is very old and about to die anytime soon, the pearl sac in the host shell will die soon, too. In tissue nucleation you can implant younger mussels than with bead nucleation and for that grow the pearls for longer. One has to gauge the residual life expectancy of the donor mussel, too, though. The location of the tissue within the host shell will show you the color and quality of nacre this particular patch of tissue will produce. Larger tissue grafts close faster (that means form pearl sacs faster) and make bigger pearls. If the original tissue graft is circular, the pearl has a greater chance to be more rounded. Implants in the dome of the host shell make lighter, rounder pearls and those closer to the hinge make more intensely colored pearls.
Zeide