Natural freshwater pearls occur in mussels for the same reason that saltwater pearls occur in oysters. Foreign material, usually a sharp object or parasite, enters a mussel and cannot be expelled.

whereas Japanese pearls were found near the coast in salt water. Nearly all the pearls in commerce originated from those few sources. Over the next millennium only three substantive events altered ...

Most pearls come from oysters, which thrive in both freshwater and saltwater environments. Oysters are bivalves that means their shell is composed of two valves connected by an elastic ligament.

Saltwater pearls come from oysters, while freshwater pearls like the Abernathy are found in freshwater mussels. Although the sale of this pearl known as "Little Willie" is now making headlines ...

It is a cultural motif here rethought by Tiffany & Co, who rethink the distinctive design in capsule high jewellery collection, Bird on a Pearl. Incredibly rare, natural saltwater pearls sourced in ...

Tap to read more. Mollusks like oysters and mussels, which live in both saltwater and freshwater, are the primary sources of pearls, forming them as a defense mechanism.