A natural pearl can be recognised by the growth rings that become visible after cutting and polishing the pearl. Each growth ring represents a year in the formation of the pearl. A grain of sand is visible in the centre of the pearl, against which the oyster has formed nacre for years.
Since natural pearls are now very expensive, I photographed an antique specimen from 1880 of a transverse cut pearl. At that time, the price of natural pearls was still such that people could afford them.
Created by Robert Brons with support from AI.
Robert Brons is a biologist, teacher and biological image maker. To create his scientific illustrations, he uses camera, telephoto and macro lenses, microscope, diving equipment, culture trays, Photoshop and everything else needed to capture the life cycle of plants and animals... Read more…