Pearl
Pearl is an organic gem, because it comes from a living marine creature. Pearls form in oysters and other mollusks. The mollusks form the pearl around an object that enters their bodies. Cultured pearls grow in mollusks raised by humans who help them to form pearls. Natural pearls form without any human help. Both are beautiful and valuable, and come in white and other colors.
Colors
The very pretty pearl may be white, gray, black, brown, purple, yellow, orange, or pink.
Famous Pearl
The largest known pearl weighs 6.4 kilos (14 pounds), and is about the size of a large loaf of bread. It is from a giant clam found near an island in the Philippines in 1934.
Lore
People around the world had their own pearl beliefs. Many cultures connected round pearls to the moon because of their shape. In Europe, pearls represented modesty, chastity, and purity. And in ancient China, people believed pearls protected them from fire and fire-breathing dragons.
what's in a name?
Pearl
[purl]
(noun)
This gem’s name comes from an Old French word called perle. It is possible that perle comes from the Latin word perna, or “leg,” which was used to describe a kind of sea mussel.
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