The Ethics of Pearls

Sachi Jacobson

JD 171

Materials and Properties

Pearl Origins in Jewelry

Pearls were the first gemstones. One reason for this is that a pearl's beauty can be seen immediately. It took humans centuries to figure out how to bring out the beauty of faceted stones. The oldest known piece of pearl jewelry dates from 520 BC. (It was found in the tomb of a Persian princess.) Since pearls are found all over the world, they have been prized in an enormous amount of cultures from the Americas to Asia.

An example of a Greco-Roman pearl earring

How Pearls FormPearls begin as an irritant in an oyster. This could be a piece of sand, grit or shell, anything that the oyster feels it needs to protect itself from. The oyster covers the foreign object with layers of nacre. Over time, a pearl is formed.

Nacre: a hard, iridescent

substance that forms the inner layer of certain mollusk shells, used for making buttons, beads, etc.; mother of pearl.

There are infinitely many shapes and colors of pearl. These vary according to where and why the pearl formed, the length of time it had to grow, and many other factors.

The Problems of Relying on Natural Pearls

Pearls prior to the early 1900's (when culturing pearls really took off) were unimaginably expensive. It is

important to remember that not all oysters contain pearls, since pearls in nature are really formed by accident. Even

the oysters that do, may produce small or lumpy pearls that are undesirable as gems. Owning a full set of

matched sizes and colors could be near priceless! Some factors to account for in the price, was all the labor and

wasted oysters involved. Oysters could be fished to near extinction with little results to show. However, pearls were so valuable that people were willing to risk a near infinite

amount of both lives and money on finding them.

Manipulating Nature: the Process of Culturing Pearls

It is easy to see why it would be desirable to create pearls, or at least be able to guarantee that an oyster was producing a pearl. However, it wasn't until around 1900, that success was recorded. Kokichi Mikimoto, a pearl enthusiast from Japan was finally able to create cultured pearls indistinguishable from natural pearls. (Although in today's market, natural pearls are still pricier because they are rarer.) He had researched in depth which irritants the oysters responded best to. (A piece of U.S. Mussel shell.) It would take decades more before his process was completely reliable, but it was an enormous breakthrough!

One of the largest pearl retailers in the world, Mikimoto, still bears his name.

Fun Facts

Pearls can form in many different mollusks, quality is what differentiates them

Although Mikimoto's success was by far the greatest, two other

Japanese men of the time, Tokishi Nishikawa and Tatsuhei Mise also

discovered and patented key discoveries.

Silver and gold beads were originally used for pearl nuclei

Pearls have (and are still) used medicinally. Mikimoto was reputed to eat two a day!

Natural pearls are less than 5% of today's market

Pearl is June's birthstone

Keshi pearls have no nucleus

Pearls to oysters can be compared to ulcers to humans.

Facts of Pearls and Related Ethics● Pearls are organic. ● They are created by a

living creature. ● Salt water mollusks

can produce only once, freshwater up to three times.

Definition of Vegetarian:

A person who does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, esp. for moral, religious, or health reasons.

Further Complications...Although vegetarianism is by no means the only

reason for avoiding pearls, it can be assumed that most vegetarians care about the suffering of animals including the mollusks who provide

pearls. Since pearl is predominantly used for vanity alone, it makes the situation even more morally questionable. (After all, eating meat at

least has some value towards your health.) Adding to the complexity of the issue, there is a full range of vegetarianism, from vegans (who

avoid all animal and animal by product consumption) to pescatarians (who eat fish.)

Reasons Against PearlsCultured:

● Less than half of the oysters survive the injection of an irritant.

● Oysters are discarded after production

Natural:

● Pearl beds are often overfished

● All the human activity can destroy or pollute the bed

Fake pearls are widely available. Below, is a fake pearl copy of Jackie Kennedy's necklace.

Making an Informed DecisionNo matter what your beliefs on pearls are, it is important to make an informed decision. (The

same is true for any similar resource. Ivory, coral and even leather are all great examples.) It is very easy to let our desires and clever marketing allow

us to turn a blind eye to the effects of our decisions, even something as simple as

purchasing a necklace. The pearl industry is quite extensive and has huge economical and

environmental ties. It is essential to understand what you are supporting and if this falls in line with

your personal beliefs.

Me as an ExampleI was a vegetarian for a few years out because I felt

wrong about contributing to animal suffering. For health reasons I've expanded my diet to include seafood.

Generally speaking, I use animal products only if I feel I will give them sufficient use. Prior to the research that went into this project, I would have been comfortable

owning perhaps one small item that incorporated pearls. (Personally, I see a difference between a pair of pearl studs and a whole strand.) However, I was under the

assumption that the loss of life was one oyster per pearl. I had no idea that half of the oysters did not survive the insertion process, bringing the average up to more like two oysters per pearl. Having this understanding, really has expanded my views on the matter. While I respect

everyone's right to enjoy the beauty of pearl's I will pass on it for myself.

Bibliography

● http://eretzelana.typepad.com/eretz_elana/2009/07/pearl-artifacts-and-jewelry-grecoroman-word.html● Www.pearloasis.com● Www.howstuffworks.com● Www.mikimoto.co.uk● Www.gemdiamond.com● Www.ross-simmons.com● Www.peta.org● Www.mastoloni.com● Pearls: A Natural History by Neil Landman