Produced by oysters in oceans or mussels in rivers, pearls have been coveted by humans since the Bronze Age. So much so that it is believed the exploitation of freshwater pearls was a factor in the ...

The price-value anomaly is obvious to consumers as they hasten to buy Chinese freshwater bargains. Indeed, pearls from freshwater mussels lie at the center of the liveliest activity in pearling today.

About 200 years ago pearl mussels were harvested for, as the name suggests, pearls. However, the name can mislead - only about one per cent of them contain this hidden 'treasure' (and most of these ...

Chinese pearls came mainly from freshwater rivers and ponds, whereas Japanese pearls were found near the coast in salt water. Nearly all the pearls in commerce originated from those few sources.

As FootwearNews explains, these aren't your basic freshwater pearls. Instead, the shoes are decked out with akoya pearls, which are much rarer than freshwater pearls. Akoya oysters only produce a ...

Before the development of plastic, buttons were made from mussel shells. Freshwater pearls are still cultured by inserting small pieces of native mussel shell into oysters. Mussels are fascinating ...

Kidman’s black archival Jean Paul Gaultier gown was demure in the front but dripped with strings of milky freshwater pearls in the back. The floor-length column gown featured chunky pearls along the ...

The largest Scottish freshwater pearl found in living memory has been sold for £93,951 at auction. The Abernethy Pearl was discovered in the River Tay by William (Bill) Abernethy, who was ...

1.38 x 1.12 in. (3.5 x 2.8 cm.) Subscribe now to view details for this work, and gain access to over 18 million auction results. Purchase One-Day Pass ...

Pearls are made by marine oysters and freshwater mussels as a natural defence against an irritant such as a parasite entering their shell or damage to their fragile body. The oyster or mussel slowly ...