What Are Cultured Pearls

I was chatting with some friends on a message board, and we were talking about parties that people have in their homes. Many have had or have been to Pampered Chef or lingerie parties. One girl piped up and asked the question: What are cultured pearls? We were all confused, until she explained that someone has asked her to have a party that involved people investing in oysters that are guaranteed to make a pearl. This left us all scratching our heads.

We wondered how anyone could guarantee a pearl. I had to find out what are cultured pearls supposed to be, and this lead me to the answer. Cultured pearls are essentially forced. When an oyster makes a pearl naturally, it is the result of a piece of a foriegn object or parasite being caught in their shell. The parasite irritates the oyster, so they then begin to put a material around it to make it smooth. The result is a pearl. Apparently the whole sand story is a myth!

Now I don’t know for sure how this company will guarantee a pearl, but I am guessing I have an idea know that I have the answer to the question about what are cultured pearls. They must in some way make sure there are a few parasites are injected into the shell so that they oyster is forced to make at least one pearl. My friends joked that surely this was oyster abuse, what didn’t the poor oyster have something to say about it?

Cultured pearls are generally less expensive that natural ones, though they are in essence the same thing. I never knew why, but had I thought to find out what are cultured pearls earlier, I might have known. This friend is still debating if she wants to have such a party, and is trying to think of a way to back out. She says the idea is entirely too weird for her taste, and I can’t say that I blame her much. However, if you really want a pearl necklace, this might be the cheapest way to do it.

For the best information on what are cultured pearls, you might want to visit Wikipedia online. I looked through many sources, but they seemed to give me the best answer. You may also find sites that explain the science behind these pearls, and what makes them different than naturally occurring pearls. Maybe you can even find out how they force the oyster to produce the pearl, and why the quality might or might not be different from the natural version that occurs as a part of nature.