Current and historic industry
- Pearls gathered in the wild from the Holarctic saltwater.
- Scotland was a major source of pearls for modern jewelry.
- The pearl mussel, a source of pearls, is now endangered in most areas.
- Japan was the first country to cultivate whole freshwater pearls in Lake Biwa.
- The Japanese freshwater pearl industry has nearly ceased to exist.
Grafting
- The grafting process involves choosing a suitable donor mussel.
- A strip of tissue is cut from the mantle and divided into small squares.
- Technicians perform the grafting operation by making incisions and inserting the tissue.
- Chinese freshwater mussels were once grafted up to 50 times per shell.
- The triangle shell mussel produced better quality pearls with fewer grafts.
Processing
- Freshwater pearl harvests are bought while still in the shell.
- Pearls are cleaned and sorted by size and shape in the first-stage factory.
- Pre-treatment involves using warm and cold chemical solutions and bleaching.
- Pearls with strong coloration skip bleaching or dyeing.
- After treatment, pearls are drilled, polished, and matched into temporary strands and hanks.
Related Topics
- Cultured pearl.
- Fishing industry in China.
- Agriculture in China.
- Medieval Goldsmiths by John Cherry.
- Aquaculture in China - Freshwater Pearl Culture.
References
- Pearl Grading Pearl-Guide.com provides information on cultured freshwater pearls.
- Medieval Goldsmiths by John Cherry discusses pearls.
- World Aquaculture Society has abstract data on freshwater pearl culture.
- Aquaculture in China - Freshwater Pearl Culture provides information on the industry.
- Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cultured_freshwater_pearls&oldid=1192808360.
Cultured freshwater pearls Data Sources
| Reference | URL |
|---|---|
| Glossary | https://harryandcojewellery.com.au/blogs/glossary/cultured-freshwater-pearls |
| Wikipedia | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultured_freshwater_pearls |
| Wikidata | https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5193690 |
| Knowledge Graph | https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/02v_kwh |