• It is a common custom for brides to wear a pearl nose-ring and necklace for the wedding ceremony. This is believed to ensure a happy conjugal life and protection from widowhood. It also provides vitality and wisdom.
  
• This is normally shiny white in colour.
  
• Pearl or Moti is used to remove the evil effects of Moon and it strengthens the mind force, increases good sleep and cures insomnia. It also gives better memory, cures uterine disorders, heart and eye troubles, as also is helpful in host of other diseases like TB, constipation, hysteria, pleurisy, etc.
  
• Pearl is very useful for ladies as it increases their facial lustre, thereby enhancing their beauty and will keep them ever young. It controls the rash temperament, as it is a cold gem.
  
• It also increases sexual strength and makes the conjugal life happy. Removes melancholy and increases fortune. Will protect from harm from others, inspires love and faithfulness and overall ensures a happy married life.
  
• It should be worn on 4th finger of right hand on Monday with silver. Weight should be 2, 4, 6, 9 grams. Being a cold stone it should be worn during bright nights.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

• Pearl is the most famed gemstone. Known for its beauty, which does not need a lapidary to enhance it. The Kings, Queens, has worn these and the rich people through all times till date.

• Pearl is a pathological formation in pearl oyster. It is formed when a foreign particle enters the gap between the body and the shell of a Pearl Oyster. The irritation caused by the foreign particle makes the Oyster take out a secretion from its body to cover the particle. When the secretion dries up, it again creates irritation to the animal, so it again covers it with its secretion - this process continues for 3 to 6 years and a pearl is produced.

• Pearl contains nearly 92 per cent of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) held together by conchiolin 6% and has 2% water. Pearls have a hardness of 2.5 to 4.5 on Moh's scale and density varies between 2.40 to 2.80 g/cm3. It is an opague gem.

OCCURRENCE

Pearls are found in Sri Lanka, Philippines, China, Japan, Australia, India and Malaysia.

In India, they are found in South Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and in some lakes of Rajasthan.

IDENTIFICATION

Natural pearls have a surface appearance - which is lustrous and looks precious. When viewed under magnification it contains discontinuous wavy lines. If dropped on a hard surface they bounce in a uniform manner.

These are some of the indications, which help one to identify a Pearl. But it is quite a difficult task and lot of training and experience goes into it. As duplication of this Gem has been done in a manner, which is many times quite difficult to detect.