“Pearls, the most flawless and highly prized of them, are perhaps the most perfectly spherical macroscopic bodies in the biological world. How are they so round?” So begin Julyan Cartwright at the ...

Oysters are the main producers of pearls, but clams and mussels can also create them. Pearls form when oysters secrete layers of nacre around irritants. There are natural and cultured pearls, with ...

Mollusks maintain the symmetry of their pearls by adjusting the thickness of each layer of shimmering nacre. If one layer of the pearl’s nacre is thinner, the next layer is thicker and will balance ...

The queen conch, a marine snail, lures shell collectors with its unique, spire-shaped shell, but the mollusk also produces lustrous, deep-pink pearls. For years, people have attempted, with little ...

Pearls are the perfect example of modern jewelry reinvention. They’ve been a feminine go-to for centuries, and the traditional, mid-20th century “Jackie O” pearl strand is trending again — but now ...

Following is a transcription of the video. Narrator: Pearls have been a symbol of elegance and class for centuries. The Maharajas of India and European queens adorned themselves with pearls, a symbol ...