Pearls within a pearl oyster shell. Pearl oysters are important products in Japan, as they produce beautiful pearls that are sought after for necklaces, earrings, and rings. Disclaimer ...

A retractable foot, a siphon for sucking up water, powerful muscles, and, sometimes, a pearl. And you thought ... a kind of mollusk that's encased in a shell made of two valves, or hinging parts.

Pearls are made by marine oysters and freshwater mussels as a natural defence against an irritant such as a parasite entering their shell or damage to their fragile body. The oyster or mussel slowly ...