True
pearls are divided primarily into two classes, "oriental," and
"freshwater." By true pearls those creations are meant which consist of
concentric layers of nacre or mother-of-pearl, as distinguished from
similar formations by mollusks out of material that is not pearly.
In
the early days pearls brought from the Orient were therefore called
"Oriental" pearls. For the same reason the fine mellow luster which
characterized and made them superior to others came to be known as the
"orient" of the pearl. These pearls were taken from oysters found on
the coasts of Ceylon, Arabia, and the Red Sea. Later, when the same
kind of oysters containing similar pearls were found in other seas,
they were also classified with them, until the term '' oriental'' is
now applied usually to all true pe'arls taken from salt water mollusks,
to distinguish them from those found in the fresh water mussels and
other products of ocean shellÂfish which, though similar in
construction and
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