User:Chelseaphil1970/Biwa pearls

Biwa Pearls, First created in and around lake Biwa (Japan). A quick explanation is that chips or shaped pieces of Mother of pearl are implanted into freshwater mussels .The MOP or foriegn body will now be coated with necra which is the protective coating an oyster or mussel uses to stop the alien damaging the delicate flesh of itself. After about 4 years we now have a pearl of a certain shape, the longer the pearl is left in the mussel the necra coat will become deeper or better quality as far as a jeweller is concerned. Lake Biwa has now become to polluted for pearl farming so the industry moved and now the same methods are used elsewhere, the method although not officially is still known as Biwa or the shaped pearls are commonly called [biwa pearls].