UK’s biggest oyster won’t give the gift of pearls
December 3rd, 2009 at 08:10pm Under General
The biggest oyster ever found in the UK turned up in a fish marked in Plymouth last weekend. The giant shellfish, unashamedly nicknamed ‘Shelly’ by the newspapers, measures 7” across and weighs 3lb. It’s currently residing in the local aquarium, where it is on public display and proving to be quite the tourist attraction.
Unfortunately for fashionistas who are loving the current revival of pearl jewellery though, there’s no chance of a giant hidden gem inside the shell, because Shelly is the wrong type of oyster. It’s an especially large example of a species called the edible oyster, which live in the English Channel. Edible oysters do produce ‘pearls’ but they are of no value, unlike those which come from other species of oyster.
The valuable pearls used to make pearl earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other jewellery are found in Pteriidae or feathered oysters, which nowadays are farmed on large pearl farms across the world, mainly in China. Pearls are formed when an irritant gets into the oyster’s shell and it coats it with layers of a substance called nacre to make it smooth. Natural pearls are far more valued than cultured pearls as they are difficult to find and fully formed round natural pearls are rare.
People have been wearing pearls throughout history, traditionally worn by brides on their wedding day as well as the rich and glamorous across countless generations. They are well known as a demonstration of purity and love, and large pearls are a way of publicly displaying wealth and class. The introduction of cultured pearls to the jewellery market has made them more widely available in recent years, and the popular vintage fashion revival along with a number of high profile celebrities publicly displaying their love for pearl sets and other classic jewellery means pearls are as desirable as ever. Michelle Obama is the latest in a long line of celebrities showing off their pearls in the fashion pages, she is becoming famous for her unique style and ‘imaginative’ jewellery choices including lots of pearls and brooches.
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