The Microstructure of the Cultured Freshwater Pearl

Pearls are composite materials of calcium carbonate polymorphs (calcite and aragonite) and organic macromolecules (polysaccharides and proteins) which contain genes and transcription factors that direct the formation of calcite and aragonite polygonal tiles, including their shape, size, and geometrical accommodation. These biologically derived instructions are transmitted from donor mussel shell mantle tissue by inserting seed grafts into freshwater production mussels. In this paper the internal and external freshwater pearl structure for the cultured triangle mussel Hyriopsis cumingii is examined by light optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. Pearl interior crystal structure evolves as mainly concentric calcite tile layers from the seed sac, with mixtures of aragonite polygonal (hexagonal-like) tiles. Within about 0.8–1 mm from the ideal (curved) pearl surface, the aragonite tiles form as continuous, overlapping layers 300–400 nm thick, with interlamellar organic material.