NWJ - Fine Jewellery

There are various types of pearls:

	Cultured: created by inserting a bead into the mother oyster and leaving it for a period of years so that the oyster coats the bead in nacre to form a pearl.

	Mabe': These are 'blister pearls', created by placing a bead on the side of an oyster's shell, which is then covered with nacre. This is then cut off and filled with resin.

	Freshwater: Created by inserting a tiny piece of foreign tissue into a freshwater mussel, creating an irritation which is covered in nacre to form the pearl.

	Shell Pearls: These are made from the crushed shell of an oyster.