Pearl

Mithat Konar14 Jan 2009

Pearl

• shape

• color

• rarity

Process

Natural pearls

Natural pearls

• harvested from wild oysters and mussels

• Bahrain and Australian Indian Ocean

• extremely rare

Cultivated pearls

Cultivated pearls

• oysters and mussels surgically implanted

• placed in cages

• left to develop

• 2-7 years

Problems

Cruelty for beauty

Cruelty for beauty

• cultivated pearls

• many oysters do not survive implanting

• most die during harvesting

• survivors are implanted again

Cruelty for beauty

• natural pearls

• several tons of oysters are needed for a few perfect pearls

Eco-balance

Eco-balance

• over-harvesting of wild stocks

• threat from global warming

• threat from pollution

Industry

Industry

• pearl workers need to eat

A solution

A solution

• High tensile strength mesh containers ...

• full of rocks ...

• full of waste glass ...

+ +

A solution

• placed in moving water ...

• allowed to develop into ...

+ =++

A solution

• cultivated beach glass

Result

Result

• gemstones

• industry

Waste

Waste

• sand

Objections

It's only glass

It's only glass

• Pearls are only calcium carbonate and protein

• Diamonds are only carbon

There's no skill involved

There's no skill involved

• Determinants of form

• initial glass size

• rock size

• wave/current type and intensity

• process time

It's not rare

It's not rare

• That's a problem?

References

http://www.colored-stone.com/stories/sep07/chinesepearls.cfm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Pearl-Farming!&id=951109

http://www.gratitude-rocks.com/images/Gratitude-Rocks%20stones.jpg

http://www.imperial-deltah.com/Education/pearl_farming_around_the_world.htm

http://www.jsbeads.com/Fresh-Water-Pearls/Your-Own-Peal-Farm.asp

http://www.northernbrewer.com/wine-bottling.html

http://www.khulsey.com/jewelry/kh_jewelry_cultured_pearls.html

http://www.meshbagsandmore.com/Mesh/mesh.htm

http://www.pacificislandtravel.com/fr_polynesia/about_destin/pearlfarming.html

http://www.pearl-guide.com/pearl-farms.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pearl.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johannes_Vermeer_(1632-1675)_-_The_Girl_With_The_Pearl_Earring_(1665).jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshwater_pearl_mussel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_oyster