Sea Shell (organic gemstones)

 Pearl 🐚 Shells 

Real pearls (organic gemstones)

Shell pearls (imitation)

Production: Manufacturers take the mother-of-pearl from the mollusk's shell, grind it into a fine powder, shape it into a bead, and then coat it with an artificial pearlescent coating.

Composition: They are essentially beads with a man-made coating. While the core may contain real shell material, they lack the layered crystalline nacre created by a living mollusk.

Qualities: The process results in perfectly uniform, round beads with a flawless surface. They are more durable than cultured pearls and are resistant to damage from perfumes and sweat.

Real pearls (organic gemstones)

Production: Natural pearls are formed organically by a mollusk as a defense mechanism against an irritant, like a parasite, that enters its shell. Cultured pearls are real pearls that form the same way, but with the irritant manually inserted by a pearl farmer.

Composition: A real pearl is composed of layers of nacre, a material consisting of calcium carbonate (aragonite) and an organic protein (conchiolin). The layers are secreted by the mollusk over several years.

Cost: The value of real pearls depends on their size, shape, and nacre quality. Natural pearls are exceptionally rare and valuable, while cultured pearls are more accessible but still have significant value

Museum of Fossils  is the American Values  of Gemstones  ..