Pearls are only found inside mussels. It lives in rivers and streams.

Pearl mussels are also known as mother-of-pearl mussels. It is named pearl mussel because of its prolific production of natural pearls. Shell large, thick and solid, long oval. Shell length up to 180mm, shell height 70mm, shell width 40mm. The two shells are enlarged, the shell surface dark brown, or nearly black, and covered with glossy spots, living in rivers and streams.

Pearls are cultivated using mussels. Mussels belong to the mollusc phylum, gill class, a wide variety of species, rich resources, pearl industry often choose sail mussels, folded crown mussels and pearl mussels and other varieties of culture.

Inside the mussel shell, there are 2 pieces of mussels wrapped around the soft body, known as the outer coat membrane, when stimulated, it will be rapidly split and proliferate, and gradually surrounded by the source of the stimulus, the formation of a complete pearl capsule, and the source of the stimulus as the center of a layer of secretion of perlage, and finally formed pearls. Natural pearls are formed by the accidental intrusion of small grains of sand, insect eggs and other foreign objects into the shell, and the epidermal cells of the outer coat membrane divide and proliferate to form a pearl sac, surround the foreign object, secrete nacreous material and form a nucleated pearl. p>Late spring or early fall is the best time for bead-rearing surgery. Because of the high summer temperatures, the mussels away from the water dehydration fast, the wound is easy to inflammation and ulceration, in winter the mussels almost into a dormant state, the surgical wounds are not easy to heal, easy to spit piece, rotten piece.

Breeding beads of mussels are generally captured from the wild waters. Its out of the water after stacking time should not be too long, such as transportation or other reasons can not be operated immediately, should be put into the small waters of the temporary raising up. If possible, a temporary pool can be established to fertilize the collected mussels before surgery to improve the success rate of surgery.

Breeding pearl mussels can be harvested after 2--3 years of breeding. Bead harvesting can be carried out when the water temperature is lower than 20 ℃, because this time the beads are fine and glossy. When harvesting pearls, cut the front and back of the closed-shell muscle with a knife, with a finger to raise the pearl on the coat membrane, put in the water gently washed, and then use the flannel to absorb the water, with a white silk cloth to play the light, can be graded for sale, mussels can be eaten fresh, can also be made into sun-dried shellfish meat.

The outer and middle layers of mussels can be used as shellfish powder for livestock and poultry, and the inner layer can be used as pearl powder, which is an important raw material for cosmetics, medicine and food.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Pearl Mussels

People's Daily Online - The Shining "Hometown of China's Pearls"