Up to the 1960s, nearly everybody in this country used clams on a daily basis. They possibly didn’t know it, but a lot of buttons were once produced from parts of clam shells. Clam beds in the big rivers of the southern and eastern United States were commercially harvested for their shells, which were used to produce pearl buttons. Southern states, especially, have a long tradition of mussel harvesting and a lot of individuals made their living picking, selling, and purchasing shells for the button industry.

With the advent of plastics and other man-made materials, the need for mussel shells decreased drastically. However, in recent years curiosity about commercially harvesting mussels has exploded. A brand new use for mussel shells has come about and the pressure to harvest significant quantities of shells has come to be strong.

The cultured pearl marketplace has found a quick way to make pearls by taking a piece of good quality mussel shell and depositing it into a living oyster. Naturally occurring pearls are deformities inside the shell of the clam or oyster. When a bit of foreign matter, such as a grain of sand, gets lodged between the organism’s shell and inner tissues, the oyster covers it with a secretion or nacre referred to as mother-of-pearl. During the period of several years a lot more layers are laid about the intruding bit of material, forming a tough, white-colored object, recognized as being a pearl. Sometimes these pearls are spherical, others are otherwise shaped.

Pearls are valuable simply because they are rare and demand is high. Cultured pearls are desirable simply because they can be produced fairly fast by taking significant pieces of mussel shells that are the exact same color as mother-of-pearl and adding only a layer or two of nacre. This will save up to several years of time, thus more pearls can be produced quicker and cheaper. By utilizing perfectly round items of shell, you are able to get consistently round pearls for a less costly price so more individuals have enough money to acquire them.

Even though Tahitian pearl jewelry is often in demand, it is also true that Oriental cultures value powdered pearls as a medicinal treatment. Pearls may also be used by biological supply houses and for some costume jewelry manufacturing.

Sandra Solivagant Samson is an expert in Tahitian pearl jewelry and editor of a great many helpful guidebooks.

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