Henry Hunt, age 13, of Charleston

What are cultured pearls?

Genuine pearls are made almost entirely by the oyster. The little creature has to cope with some small object, a worm or grain of sand, that gets between his hard shell and soft body. He is forever relining his shell with smooth coats of beautiful nacre. He simply covers the small invader with a coat of nacre paint every time he redoes the walls of his house. With layer after layer, the annoying pest is gradually built up to be a sizeable round pearl. It can no longer scratch the soft oyster,

A cultured pearl is made in the same way. However, the oyster has some help. His shell is pried open and a small bead put between him and his shell The little fellow goes on recoating his walls with nacre, including a few coats for the bead.

Usually the bead is much larger than the grain of sand that starts the natural pearl.  The cultured pearl, then, is not pearl nacre all the way through. A real pearl takes many, many years to make. The cultured pearl can be made in three or four years. On the outside, it may glow with the beautiful lustre of a real pearl. But inside it is mostly glass bead.