The price-value anomaly is obvious to consumers as they hasten to buy Chinese freshwater bargains. Indeed, pearls from freshwater mussels lie at the center of the liveliest activity in pearling today.

In 1996, the most recent year for which figures are available, 150 million akoya oysters perished, according to Devin Macnow, executive director of the Cultured Pearl Information Center ...

About 200 years ago pearl mussels were harvested for, as the name suggests, pearls. However, the name can mislead - only about one per cent of them contain this hidden 'treasure' (and most of ...

Before the development of plastic, buttons were made from mussel shells. Freshwater pearls are still cultured by inserting small pieces of native mussel shell into oysters. Mussels are fascinating ...

Pearls are made by marine oysters and freshwater mussels as a natural defence against an irritant such as a parasite entering their shell or damage to their fragile body. The oyster or mussel slowly ...

The largest Scottish freshwater pearl found in living memory is being auctioned, nearly six decades after its discovery. The Abernethy Pearl is expected to fetch between £40,000 and £60,000 when ...

A new colony of endangered freshwater pearl mussels has been discovered in north Highland. The rare species was uncovered during a watercourse survey being carried out before culvert replacement work.