The biggest oyster ever found in the UK turned up in a fish marked in Plymouth last weekend. Narrowly escaping becoming someone’s luxury dinner the giant shellfish, unashamedly nicknamed ‘Shelly’ by the newspapers, measures 7” across and weighs 3lb. It’s currently residing in the local aquarium, where it is on public display and proving to be quite the tourist attraction.
Unfortunately for fashionistas who are loving the current revival of pearl jewellery though, there’s no chance of a giant hidden gem inside the shell, because Shelly is the wrong type of oyster. It’s an especially large example of the edible oyster, the only species that is native to the English Channel. Edible oysters do produce ‘pearls’ but they are of no value, unlike the beautiful varieties that come from other oysters and are used to make jewellery.
The valuable pearls used to make pearl earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other jewellery are found in Pteriidae or feathered oysters, which nowadays are farmed on large pearl farms across the world, mainly in China. Pearls are formed inside the shell of an oyster when a grain of sand or other irritant finds its way in and the oyster protects itself by building up layers of a secretion known as nacre to cushion it with a smooth surface. Natural pearls are a lot more highly valued than the cultured variety as they are much rarer and hard to find.
Pearls have been worn for hundreds of years, traditionally by brides on their wedding day and they have constantly featured in the wardrobes of the rich and glamorous for generations. They are a sign of purity and love, as well as suggesting wealth and class. The introduction of cultured pearls to the jewellery market has made them more widely available in recent years, and the popular vintage fashion revival along with a number of high profile celebrities publicly displaying their love for pearl sets and other classic jewellery means pearls are as desirable as ever. The most recent celebrity flashing her pearls on the fashion pages is America’s first lady Michelle Obama, who is becoming famous for her unique style and ‘imaginative’ jewellery choices including lots of pearls and brooches.
0 Responses to “UK’s biggest oyster won’t give the gift of pearls”