No chance of giant pearl from UK’s biggest ever oyster
An oyster bigger than any found before in the UK has been discovered in a market in Plymouth. Narrowly escaping becoming someone’s luxury dinner the giant shellfish, unashamedly nicknamed ‘Shelly’ by the newspapers, measures 7” across and weighs 3lb. The oyster has been given a new home in the local aquarium, where it is on public display and proving to be quite the celebrity.
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. Although it’s an exceptionally large specimen of the edible oyster, the only species that live in the English Channel. Edible oysters do produce ‘pearls’ but they are of no value, unlike the beautiful varieties that come from other oysters and are used to make jewellery.
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 builds up layers of a secretion known as nacre to cushion it with a smooth surface. Natural pearls are a lot more highly valued than the cultured variety as they are difficult to find and fully formed, perfectly round natural pearls are rare.
Pearls have been worn for hundreds of years, traditionally by brides on their wedding day as well as the rich and glamorous across countless generations. They are a sign of purity and love, as well as suggesting 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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