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Pearl is the official birthstone for the month of June. It is also the
birthstone for the Sun Signs of Gemini and Cancer. Fresh water pearls are given
on the 1st wedding anniversary. Pearls are also given on the 3rd, 12th and 30th
anniversaries.
A pearl is formed when some sort of small object, typically a parasite, bit
of sand or piece of organic matter, becomes embedded in the tissue of an oyster
or mollusk. In response, the mantle tissue of the mollusk secretes a lustrous
substance called nacre, a combination of crystalline and organic substances. As
the nacre builds up in layers, it surrounds the irritant and eventually forms a
pearl. This process of building a solid pearl can take up to seven or eight
years.
Cultured pearls, by contrast, are those in which humans take a helping hand.
By actually inserting a foreign object into the tissue of an oyster or mollusk,
pearl farmers can induce the creation of a pearl. The same natural process of
pearl creation takes place. Today more than 99% of all pearls sold worldwide are
cultured pearls.
Pearls vary in color from white to those with a hint of color, often pink, to
brown or black. Each coloration will depend on the type of mollusk and the water
where the mollusk lived. Because the nacre is organic, pearls are very sensitive
to extreme heat, acids, dryness, and humidity. Care should be taken when storing
them.
Pearls are considered to offer the power of love, money, protection, and
luck. Pearls are thought to give wisdom through experience, to quicken the laws
of karma and to cement engagements and love relationships. They are thought to
keep children safe. Early Chinese myths told of pearls falling from the sky when
dragons fought. Ancient legend says that pearls were thought to be the tears of
the gods and the Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promote marital bliss
and prevent newlywed women from crying.
