Do all oysters make pearls? And why do they do it?
by 
wickedwillie
ANSWERS: 1
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All oysters are capable of making them. Dirt that gets into the oyster which irritates it (such as organic material or parasites, but rarely sand) gets coated by the oyster with layers of calcium carbonate held together with conchiolin (a protein). The oysters then make use of pearl divers to rid them of the irritant. These are mammalian creatures who value the pearls for their lustre.
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