European pearl oyster. Family: Freshwater pearl mussels (Margaritiferidae) Freshwater pearl mussel

Since ancient times, people have appreciated the beauty of pearls - their smooth matte surface and soft shine.

Pearls were used to decorate clothes, household utensils, frames of the most revered icons and book bindings. Especially large and regular-shaped pearls were kept in the state treasury as great valuables. In Rus', starting from the 11th–12th centuries, patterned pearl embroidery on linen, silk, brocade, and velvet became widespread. Russian craftsmen created unique examples of pearl embroidery and

jewelry

with pearls. Pearls were used to embroider church items, ceremonial royal, princely, boyar and even folk clothing. For such sewing, they used mainly freshwater pearls, which were mined right there, within the Russian state.

Information about the extraction of pearl nuclei in Rus' is available, for example, in documents dating back to the 15th century. Novgorod pearls were especially valuable. its grains were strikingly beautiful. It was Novgorod pearls that Ivan III presented to the Hungarian king Matt in 1488. In the 16th century Varzuga pearls, mined in the Varzuga River (Kola Peninsula), began to be in great demand. It was bought to decorate church utensils and clothing. The area near the city of Kem was famous for its especially abundant pearl fishery. In 1788, this city was given a coat of arms depicting a wreath of pearls on a blue field of water. European or common pearl mussel ( Margaritifera margaritifera) is a freshwater bivalve mollusk, a relative of the well-known pearl barley. Its shell is dark, elongated, with a well-developed nacreous layer on the inner surface. The shell can reach 12–13 cm in length and about 5 cm in width. The European pearl oyster lives in fast cold streams and at one time, apparently, was widespread in rivers flowing into the Barents, White, Baltic Seas and the northern part

Atlantic Ocean . “There is no country in Europe that would be rich, like Russia, in rivers and rivulets in which pearl shells are found,” wrote in the 80s. last century, Russian geologist A.A. Shtukenberg 1. Back at the beginning of the twentieth century. in many rivers Kola Peninsula the number of shellfish began to decline rapidly. Now this species is included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.

In addition to our country, the European pearl mussel is found in the rivers of Finland, Sweden, the mountainous regions of Central Europe, and very rarely in Norway, the Baltic countries, Great Britain, and northern France. However, all European populations are under threat of complete destruction. Over the past 30 years, about half of them have disappeared, and most of the remaining ones have stopped reproducing.

The pearl oyster sticks to places with fast current, found near rapids, rifts and reaches with a sandy-rocky bottom, but avoids silted reaches with weak currents. The mollusk lives at a depth of 0.3 - 2.5 m, burrowing into the ground with the front end of the shell and sticking out the rear end with siphons. It feeds on unicellular algae and organic detritus, which it extracts from the water, filtering it through the gills. In suitable places, the density of shells sometimes reaches 70 pieces per square meter

. And each mollusk passes through itself more than 50 liters of water per day, which makes it possible to purify it to crystal transparency.

Salmon now spawns in 33 rivers of the Kola Peninsula, but only in one – Varzuga – is it abundant. Why was Varzuga the most productive? A survey of the river showed the presence of a large population of pearl mussels - about 80 million individuals. This is now the largest population in the world - the rest number from 10 to 100 thousand individuals. According to rough estimates, pearl mussels in Varzuga deposit about 200 tons of suspended matter per day, ideally purifying the water. There are three reasons for the extinction of the pearl mussel and the decline in the number of salmon: excessive shellfish fishing, equally excessive salmon fishing, and river pollution. But timber is not floated down the Varzuga, there are no industrial enterprises here, and the river is difficult to access for mass poaching. It turns out that they have been preserved here optimal conditions

for both salmon and pearl mussels.

Scientists believe that simultaneously with the settlement of sexually mature pearl mussels, it is necessary to disperse the glochidia. Artificial infestation with glochidia could increase reproductive efficiency thousands of times. To do this, pearl mussels are collected, the shells are opened slightly, the sex and degree of maturity of the females are determined, they are marked and placed in cages before spawning begins. The resulting suspension of glochidia is introduced into the mouths of caught fish without removing them from the water. After 18 days, from 2 to 10 thousand larvae were noted in the experiments, fixed on one salmon. As already mentioned, such an infection is practically harmless to fish.

The restoration of the pearl mussel population can be combined with the resumption of freshwater pearl harvesting, which excludes the destruction of mollusks. However, this is a matter for the future, and first it is necessary to restore the numbers of pearl mussels and salmon.

But what are pearls, for the sake of which freshwater pearl mussels were so mercilessly caught for many centuries? The pearl consists of the same substance as the shell, i.e. mainly from calcium carbonate. The inner layer of the shell is mother-of-pearl, a derivative of one of the purine bases - guanine. Mother-of-pearl is formed by the thinnest layers, lying in several layers, which create interference of light rays, as a result of which the mother-of-pearl layer shines, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. A pearl, as is known, is formed after some foreign object, for example a grain of sand, gets into the wall of the mantle or into the mantle cavity, around which nacre begins to be deposited.

Sometimes the pearl grain grows to the inner surface of the shell. Then it does not form a round beautiful core and it can be difficult to separate it from the wall. Such pearls are called half pearls. Pearls formed on the body of the mollusk usually have the shape of a ball and are called ramped. It is these pearls that are especially highly valued. There is usually one pearl per shell. The quality of the pearl grain does not depend on the size of the shell and the beauty of its mother-of-pearl layer. Often uneven, low-value pearls were found in beautiful and large shells.

Literature

Nature. 1989, no. 7.

Science and life. 1975, no. 7.

1 It should be noted that freshwater pearls were also mined in the Russian Far East, but other pearl mussels are found in the rivers there - bivalve mollusks of the genus Dahurinaia.

2 At any given time, pearl mussels are dioecious, but it is assumed that these mollusks can change sex during life.

Local historians in local museums of the Russian North proudly talk about Russian river pearls, which were once used to decorate all the most expensive things - from royal crowns and icon frames to dresses and kokoshniks of wealthy peasant women. The same pearls were used in abundance in jewelry - earrings, rings and necklaces. Were all these pearls really local?

Pearl fishing and pearl sewing once flourished in the north-west of Russia; a considerable part of the local residents lived there - pearl miners, jewelers and seamstresses. Pearl sewing has been reliably known since the 10th century, although, apparently, it appeared (along with the craft) much earlier. Pearls were mined in the rivers of the Novgorod, Arkhangelsk and Olonets provinces, which included part of the territory of Karelia. There is evidence that for many centuries Russia was in first place in the extraction of river pearls. Suffice it to say that the coat of arms granted by Catherine the Great to the Karelian city of Kem in 1788 includes a pearl wreath on a blue (water) field, and the export of Russian pearls abroad in 1860 was estimated at 182 thousand rubles. At that time - a huge amount of money (about a billion at current prices).

But in the second half of the 19th century there was a catastrophic drop in the number of pearls mined, and its collection became the property of individual miners. This process began much earlier, but answering the question of why Russian pearls disappeared was not so simple. After several years of searching, we are in general outline We figured out this problem and learned a lot of interesting things. We were not interested in pearls in themselves, but its carrier, a bivalve mollusk - the European (common, freshwater) pearl oyster Margaritifera margaritifera - turned out to be very remarkable in many respects. The study of this mollusk touches on problems of zoology, ecology, and ichthyology. And even, oddly enough, gerontology and medicine - since pearl mussels can live for more than a hundred years, they tried to find the secrets of longevity with their help (though the latter had no more to do with science than treating erectile dysfunction with crushed rhinoceros horn).

Source of Russian pearls

Pearl mussel with city registration

In one of the dacha suburbs of St. Petersburg in 1996, a reserve was created for the purpose of protecting salmon fish and pearl oysters. However, information about how many pearl mussels there are and whether they are there at all was very uncertain. 10 years after the creation of the reserve, it was not at all known whether the mollusk was preserved in it. In 2006, the management of the protected areas asked us to check if margaritifera was there. We started looking for her and eventually found her. It turned out that there are very few pearl mussels in the rivers there - a maximum of several dozen individuals.

After the rediscovery of pearl mussels in the reserve, we found several more of their populations in the territory Leningrad region, including near St. Petersburg. It is curious that some of them actually live near the city, that is, under conditions of strong anthropogenic pressure. At the same time, it is known that pearl mussels are dying out in most of their range, that is, in European countries, where great efforts are made to preserve nature. Why is this happening?

It turned out that in a neat and economical Western Europe life for pearl mussels is usually much worse. Behind the cleanliness and order maintained by man often lies complete destruction. natural environment a habitat. If a forest grows near the river bank, then it is exploited like this: everything is completely cut down to the very edge of the water, not only the trunks are disposed of, but also branches with leaves, then they are planted coniferous trees, or the area is left for a short time for natural renewal. Later grown deciduous trees cut down, a monoculture of pine or spruce remains. In addition, this area is being dug up with drainage canals. If a meadow approaches the shore, then it is regularly mowed to the very edge of the water, as soon as the grass grows a little. As a result, very little detritus, which pearl mussels need for nutrition, is washed into the rivers, and the water is acidified by pine needles. The banks that are not strengthened by roots are washed away, a lot of sand and clay gets into the water, so the rivers become shallow. Often they are also straightened and cleared, turning them into channels. Long-established private ownership of land allows this.

In Russia, traces of such activity can be traced on the Karelian Isthmus - on territory that in the past belonged to Finland. One of the rivers in which pearl mussels were preserved suffered from this - part of the riverbed was straightened and cleared of boulders. After the war, the river was partially restored, but several straightened sections are still extremely poorly populated. aquatic organisms. Nevertheless, in general, the rivers remain alive, the surviving pearl mussels in them do not suffer from hunger or acidification, and therefore survive and reproduce. And although the European order is beginning to come into fashion here too, all this is still going slowly and little affects the habitats of pearl mussels.

Loss of Novgorod pearls

After, as scientists say, the rediscovery of pearl mussels in the Leningrad region, we decided to go to our neighbors, in the Novgorod region. After a long search, we finally found margaritifera in just one river, and in small quantity. At the same time, the archives indicate at least 20 rivers in which pearls were mined in Peter’s time. Unfortunately, there are no pearl mussels in them for a long time. It is possible that it was during the Peter the Great period that the greatest damage was caused to the Novgorod pearl mussel populations - after all, pearls were ordered to be collected and handed over to the state. At first, everything that could be extracted was extracted from the rivers, but later their habitat began to deteriorate, and the population did not recover. Pearls come across several hundred in one shell, and “jewelry” ones are even rarer. The total number of Novgorod pearl mussels hardly exceeds a thousand. And this population appears to be dying out. Instead of pearl mussels, thick pearl mussels (Unio crassus) were found in Novgorod rivers - another species bivalves. Both species are similar in many ways and occasionally coexist. Just such a rare case was found in the only surviving population. It seems that one species is being replaced by another. The point, of course, is not a matter of displacement (there would be enough space for both), but that the environment has changed and become more suitable for thick pearl barley. It is possible that this process is currently occurring in the surviving population, while in other rivers it has already completed.

Young thick pearl mussels, unlike pearl mussels, live in the ground not 5-10 years, but only 1-2 years. They do not dig deep, and they do not need a thick layer of well-washed and aerated soil - coarse sand or fine gravel. They can also live in clay soil. Another difference is that thick pearl barley lives in water with greater hardness. This means that the content of rivers has increased fine particles soil and salt concentration, that is, a large volume of clayey, salt-rich soil was washed away from the surrounding area. Over hundreds of years of development of these territories, a lot of forest was cut down, and the exploitation of clayey and carbonate-rich soils led to the washing of huge amounts of clay into the rivers, their shallowing and destruction of the habitat of young pearl mussels.

After the collapse Soviet Union the economy of the Novgorod region was destroyed. Many houses and entire villages are abandoned, and if they are used, they are only used as summer cottages. Rivers are usually surrounded by trees and appear quite normal. Maybe someday they will be “washed back”, but this is very doubtful. Even pristine rivers themselves undergo evolution and, in a sense, “grow old,” and after such an accelerated aging, which was arranged for them economic activity, are unlikely to return to their “young” state.

True, in our country there are several dozen more rivers where Margaritifera margaritifera lives and reproduces. Moreover, in several of them the population size of these mollusks is measured in millions of individuals. These are the largest remaining populations on the planet. But nature is fragile. And the only way to preserve the shellfish is to leave them untouched unique rivers, in which Margaritifera, the keeper of Russian pearls, lives.

Photo: DIOMEDIA (X3), JOEL BERGLUND (CC-BY-SA)

COMMON PEARL

Margaritifera margaritifera

MOLLUSCA – MOLLUSCA Squad:Toothless – Unioformes Family:Pearl mussels – Margaritiferidae Genus: Margaritifera Linnaeus, 1758

Description:Large bivalve mollusk (shell length up to 160 mm ). The outside of the shell is dark brown or black (yellow-green in juveniles), usually elongated, oval-quadrangular, slightly convex. The tops almost do not protrude. The shell at the crown is usually severely eroded and the periostracum is completely destroyed; the sculpture of the crown is visible only in the youngest individuals. Inside the valves, on their dorsal edge, there is a lock consisting only of cardinal anterior teeth. On the right valve, the tooth has the shape of a tall, irregular, quadrangular pyramid and is placed under the crown, slightly in front of it. The left valve has two cardinal teeth, less pronounced and separated by a shallow hollow. The ventral margin of the valve is usually straight or slightly concave. The nacreous layer is thick, white with a pinkish tint, often with green spots.

Spreading: Rivers Atlantic coast north-east USA, eastern Canada, Western Europe, the Baltics, Belarus and the forest zone of the north-west. Russia. In Russia it is known from Karelia, Murmansk, Leningrad and Arkhangelsk regions. The original range of the species apparently included bass rivers. Bely, Barents and Baltic seas. Nowadays the range has sharply decreased.

Number:All in. America and Western In Europe, the number now does not exceed several million individuals. In the 20th century the number has decreased by more than 90%. The largest populations remained in Russia: in the rivers of the Murmansk region. (about 150 million individuals) and Karelia (about 42 million individuals). The density of mollusks is up to 200 specimens/m2 of the river bottom. In most rivers the density is lower (less than 12 specimens/m2). The rapid decline in the number of shellfish, and in some places their complete disappearance, is caused by poaching and industrial fishing of shellfish, deforestation, application of fertilizers, pesticides, timber rafting, water pollution from industrial wastewater, acid rain, reclamation work in riverbeds, eurofification, as well as factors that reduce the number of host fish (overfishing, construction of dams, acclimatization of other fish species, etc.). The number of mollusks and their distribution are also influenced by the degree of mineralization, chemical composition and oxygen saturation of water, flow speed, nature of the soil, temperature, presence of sufficient density of host fish.

Security: Listed in the IUCN-96 Red List, European Red List, Annex 3 of the Berne Convention. In the Kandalaksha and Lapland reserves, in national park"Panajärvi" is home to small stream populations of pearl mussels. At the end of the 80s. Attempts were made to re-acclimatize mollusks in some northern rivers. Russia, methods have been developed to intensify reproduction in natural reservoirs and on the basis of salmon farms. It is necessary to reduce the likelihood of eutrophication and pollution through strict control and monitoring of water quality, and the creation of protected areas in unpolluted basins. (especially important - in the last remaining large renewable populations of the rivers Varzuga and Umba on the Kola Peninsula and the Keret river in Karelia), limiting industrial and reclamation work in the habitats of pearl mussels, restoring their populations using developed methods, preventing the acclimatization of salmon fish, not serving as hosts of pearl mussels, international coordination of work in the field of research into ways to restore pearl mussel populations and environmental legislation, breeding mollusks in specialized farms.

• Kingdom: Animalia, Zoobiota = Animals (Invertebrates)
• Type: Mollusca Linnaeus, 1758 = Molluscs, soft-bodied
• Class: Bivalvia, Lamellibranchia Linnaeus, 1758 = Bivalves, elasmobranchs
• Squad: Eulamblamellibranchia = True elasmobranchia
• Family: Margaritiferidae = Freshwater pearl mussels
• Species: European or common pearl mussel = Margaritifera margaritifera

Family: Margaritiferidae = Freshwater pearl mussels

An extensive group of true elasmobranch mollusks, fully adapted to life in fresh water, consists primarily of mollusks from the large suborder Split-toothed; from the suborder Heterodonate, mollusks from the superfamily Sphaeriacea are confined to fresh waters, as well as almost all species from the family Dreissenidae.

All these indicated groups of true elasmobranchs are widespread in fresh waters all continents, especially in the waters of America, where their species diversity is especially great.

Most species of cleft-toothed fish belong to the superfamily Unionacea, or Najadacea), which includes 2 families: freshwater pearl oysters (Margaritiferidae) and unionids (Unionidae). All of them have a well-developed nacreous shell, the leg is large, axe-shaped, the ligament is external, behind the tops; the mantle is unfused, the siphons are rudimentary. The castle, if present, is of very variable structure and belongs to a special unionid (“pseudoheterodont”) type; the teeth may be more or less split, divergent and serve as central or lateral teeth.

Unionid is consumed as food, but is used mainly for fattening poultry and livestock (pigs); The shells of many of their species, as well as pearl oysters, are used for various mother-of-pearl products. In 1963, the world production of freshwater bivalves, mainly Unionidae (and partly Corbiculidae), amounted to 350 thousand cwt.

The family of freshwater pearl mussels includes only one genus - Margaritifera, or Margaritana, species of which live in North America, Europe and the North East Asia, including Sakhalin and Japan.

These are the most primitive forms of the Unionacea, having reduced lateral teeth; their gills are not fused at the back with the mantle. We are mainly known for the common pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera), up to 12 cm long. It lives in small rivers in the north of our country, as well as in northern Europe, America and Japan. It has been mined for pearls for a long time. In the rivers Far East There are several species of pearl mussels, for example: the Dahurian pearl mussel (M. dahurica) up to 18 cm long, living in the river basin. Amur and Primorye (it has long been hunted for mother-of-pearl and pearls); Kamchatka pearl mussel (M. middendorffi) 9 cm long; The oval shell of this pearl oyster differs from the toothless one in that the valves are much thicker, have a thick mother-of-pearl layer, and have a clasp with one or two central teeth.

Pearl mussels live only in clean running waters (rivers, streams), not found in stagnant bodies of water, since they are especially demanding about the cleanliness and aeration of water. The current area of ​​their distribution has greatly decreased compared to the past: for example, they disappeared in rivers polluted wastewater cities and factories, timber rafting, due to changes in water chemistry, as well as waterlogging. In addition, the predatory extermination of pearl mussels in pursuit of pearls and mother-of-pearl, which took place in the past, also undermined the supply of these valuable shells. Their stocks are difficult to restore due to the slow growth of these mollusks. In the first year of life, pearl mussels reach a size of 0.5 cm7, in the fifth year - 2 cm, by 7-8 years - 3-4 cm, and in the tenth - 6 cm, then giving an annual increase of only about 1 mm; the largest specimens, 12-13 cm, are about 70 years old.

Accordingly, pearls grow slowly: in 12 years they grow the size of a pea, and reach a size of 8 mm in 30-40 years; pearl High Quality. The shells of pearl oysters are mainly used to make mother-of-pearl buttons.

It is not easy to discover pearl mussels in rivers where they are preserved. Usually these are fast-flowing rivers, with rapids, boulders, where the river seethes and bubbles, and then flows calmly along a calm stretch to the next rapid. On stretches at a depth of several meters, pearl mussels can only be caught with a dredge, but in shallow rapids places they can be collected by hand. Their densest settlements are found in areas with somewhat slower flows. If the place is chosen well, then in an hour you can collect several dozen pearl oysters. Their population density in some places can reach up to 60 specimens per 1 m2.

Fertilization, release of eggs and infection of the gills of pearl mussels is observed in July - August. Unlike barleys and barnacles, their eggs develop to glochidia in all four (external and internal) hemigills of the mother’s body. Glochidia are very small and lack a beak-shaped sharp tooth; already in September they are found on the skin and gills of fish (grayling, bitterling, etc.)...

And where is it mined? This is definitely not a mineral or a natural stone. These are deposits inside a sea oyster or in river shells, covered with mother-of-pearl. Distinguish freshwater pearls and sea.

How to distinguish river pearls from sea pearls, how much do jewelry made from natural pearls cost, does it have magical properties and who is it suitable for? You will learn about all this from the article.

What are natural pearls and what are they like?

Let's start with the fact that natural pearls cannot be completely identical. First of all, these are beads different colors, ranging from white pearlescent to black and even pink. Secondly, the sizes and shapes differ.

How to check naturalness? Pay attention to the quality of the surface. If these are natural pearls, then they necessarily have a rough surface, are quite heavy and cool.

Which pearls are more valuable - river and sea pearls, are there any differences or are they far-fetched? From the name it becomes clear that sea pearls are formed in the sea, in salt water. River - in mollusks from freshwater.

Unlike sea beads, river beads are more affordable. The reason is simple. The process of cultivating beads in freshwater rivers takes less time. In the mantle of mollusks, 12-20 beads are grown at once, while no more than two or three foreign bodies can be introduced into a sea oyster.

How much does a natural pearl cost on average? It all depends on the shape, size, cultivation method. The price can range from several hundred dollars to several tens of thousands.

Production in Russia yesterday and today

Once upon a time, Russian pearls became famous throughout the world. There was so much of it that there was enough for everyone, including for export. Delicate natural beads were used to decorate royal clothes and crowns, icons and kokoshniks, and the wedding dresses of noble ladies could not do without them.

Freshwater pearls, black, silver, white, and even with a greenish tint, were actively used in Russia to create designer jewelry. At that time they were:

• earrings;
• rings;
• necklace;
• bracelets;
• beads;
• brooches, etc.

The most valuable material was considered to be extracted from Karelian rivers. Pearls from this area had a unique bluish and silvery glow. It is noteworthy that a lady with any level of income could afford a bracelet or pendant with natural pearls. The jewelry of both the queen and simple fisher girls, each of which had several threads, was equally highly valued.

The uniqueness of products in Russia in the 19th century is mentioned in the description of the visit to the Nizhny Novgorod province of a German researcher. He wrote about how greatly he was amazed by the beauty of the whitish or yellow color, soft blue and even black among Russian women. The higher the lady's position, the more items she wore. This made an indelible impression on the foreigner.

In those days, the mother of Russian pearls was the freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera. Dozens of provinces traded on pearl rivers. These are Arkhangelsk, Siberian, Yaroslavl, St. Petersburg, etc. Shellfish production was especially active in Karelia and the Kola Peninsula.

Not so often, but Margaritifera margaritifera was found in the Moscow region. In which rivers were shellfish harvested? The pearl mussel was found in the basin of the Dnieper, Amur and tributaries of the Volga. In total, there were up to 150 pearl-bearing rivers in the country, half of which were used for fishing on a large scale. A third of the production at that time came from the provinces in the northern part of the country.

Today in Russia they do not figure out which pearls are best in the country; they are mined mainly on an experimental basis in Karelia. Every year the state treasury is replenished with hundreds of pearls of the highest quality.

How are pearls mined these days? More than 25 years ago, they began to use delicate methods of influencing mollusks with partial opening of the valves, allowing them to be left alive. Near the Northern capital there is a reserve for the protection of fish of the salmon family and mollusks. In 2006, research work was carried out on its territory for the presence of margaritane. Several populations of no more than a few dozen adults were discovered.

Are there pearl mussels today in the previously “prolific” Novgorod region? So far, mollusks have been found only in one river, and the number of individuals is no more than a thousand; all of them are on the verge of extinction due to replacement by less demanding conditions. environment pearl barley.

So what is the difference between past centuries and modern times, why did the country's pearl reserves dry up? It's all about the salmon. There is too much demand for them. Pearl mussels can only exist in rivers where salmon live. After all, larvae develop on their gills.

Is there a possibility that the mining industry will be revived at its previous level?

Work is underway to revive it. To do this, they are establishing the process of breeding salmon and protecting freshwater rivers suitable for the life and development of pearl mussels.

What is the difference between freshwater pearls and sea pearls?

Returning to the topic of differences, including from the photo, between sea and river pearls, let’s determine the main points:

1. Shine. Sea pearls emit a brighter glow in daylight, while river beads appear dull and almost matte in comparison.
2. Form. Freshwater pearls, just like natural stones, by the way, have irregular shape. Sea beads also rarely have ideal parameters, but still look more neat. In addition, river beads are often oval-shaped, while sea beads are predominantly round.
3. Price. Important difference. Sea pearls are always more expensive than river pearls. Why? This was mentioned above.
4. Nacre. Another significant indicator. Sea beads have a thinner coating, on average from 0.5 to 6 mm. This explains the abrasions that occur over time. Freshwater pearls are made almost entirely of mother-of-pearl, which is why they last longer and require minimal care.

You can also distinguish between freshwater and sea pearls by analyzing their sizes. Freshwater specimens are usually smaller than marine specimens. Previously, cultured freshwater pearls were grown for several years, which negatively affected the quality of the coating, shape, and of course, size. Not long ago, the growing period was extended to 6 years, which made it possible to correct the situation and achieve almost complete identity of pearls with sea pearls in shape and size.

The magical properties of freshwater pearls

People have believed in the magic of natural river pearls since the first acquaintance with them. It was believed that mother-of-pearl products would help one live happily ever after and reward the owner with strength of mind and body.

Psychics confirm the powerful energy of pearls, claiming that people of any age can wear jewelry with them with equal benefit.

Many believe in the properties of freshwater pearls to attract love; they are sincerely convinced that products with mother-of-pearl beads will help you meet your soulmate and live happily ever after with them for many years.

There are also some signs regarding freshwater pearls. It is believed that they should not be owned by people with a nomadic lifestyle, as well as families with small children.

Who is suitable for pearl jewelry?

So, who can wear freshwater pearls? Astrologers recommend wearing jewelry for representatives of the water signs of the zodiac. That is, the beads will feel most harmonious in life:

• Rakov;
• Scorpios;
• Aquarius.

Other signs (do not forget that beads are intended more for the female half of humanity) can also wear pearls, but without much hope for an energetic relationship.

The exception is black river pearls. It is recommended to be worn by strong signs Leo and Aries for peace of mind and tranquility.

How to clean pearls at home and how to store them

Natural freshwater pearls are stronger than sea pearls, but they are not stone; they are vulnerable and subject to destruction over time. To extend the life of mother-of-pearl beads, you need to follow simple rules operation, provide gentle and regular care.

For example, to maintain the shine of a pearl, you need to clean it from time to time. Under no circumstances should this be done with cleaning agents or vinegar. The latter will corrode the layers of mother-of-pearl and become certain death for decoration (some people use it to check whether pearls are real or not).

Clean products with warm soapy water and a soft cloth. Before storing in a box (kept separately), the pearls are allowed to dry and rubbed thoroughly.

How to care for pearls

How to care for pearls folk recipes? Potato starch or a teaspoon of salt diluted in a glass of water will help. They replace soap solution.

A separate box for storing pearl jewelry is not enough. For a complete set, take care of the accompanying protective fabrics. It can be:

• silk;
• atlas.

It is important that the materials are not only natural, but also unpainted. Is heat dangerous for pearls? It happens, so take care of the beads from drying out. summer time, store them next to a glass of water. And also, if you do not want to shorten the life of your pearl jewelry, never store it hanging without a case or box.

You have learned what freshwater pearls look like and how they differ from sea pearls; now you definitely can’t go wrong when purchasing products. Share the article with your friends! See you again!

Team LyubiKamni