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Pearls A smooth, relatively hard, globular and generally white gem with soft iridescent lustre, which has from ancient times been used for adornment. (1 Tim.2:9: Rev.17:4; 18:11‑16; 21:2,21) It is a hardened mass of calcium carbonate that forms inside oysters and certain other molluscs. When a foreign particle (such as a grain of sand or a small parasite) enters the area between the body and the shell of a mollusc, this stimulates the creature's secretion of a calcareous substance called "nacre," which hardens into a pearly layer around the irritating intruding material. Successive layers of this shell‑like substance are built up around the foreign particle that serves as a nucleus. If the nucleus remains free from the shell due to the contractions of the mantle lining the shell, a beautiful pearl is formed in the course of several years. Selected |
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Pearl is produced by certain shelled molluscs, chiefly the oyster. The inner surface of the shells of the pearl oyster yield "mother‑of‑pearl," and distinct pearls are believed to be morbid secretions, caused by some external irritation. Many fine pearls are found in the actual body of the oyster. The Persian Gulf, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the north‑west coast of Western Australia, many Pacific islands, and the Gulf of Mexico are among the most productive pearl fishing grounds. In ancient times Britain was renowned for its pearl fisheries, the pearls being obtained from a species of fresh‑water mussel. Western Australia has produced a 40‑grain pearl, the finest the world has seen. One of the largest pearls ever found was the "Beresford‑Hope Pearl," which weighed 1,800 grains, over six times as much as the oyster that produced it. Selected
Matthew 7:6 (NKJV) Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. Rev.21:2,12,21 (NKJV) John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. She had a great and high wall with twelve gates…The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. |
