Shhheasssells =) [Bits about Pearls]

Did you know?
An oyster, a living creature, produces pearls in its shell simply by acting out of defence against foreign substances! Pearls, the expensive beauty of this world, were born simply in a shell. When an irritant enters the oysters shell, the material lining inside of the shell called nacre, covers this irritant. Eventually, this covered irritant turns into what we now call a pearl.
To make it more simple, think about a pimple. The “pimple” is the “irritant” that enters the shell. As our skin recovers from the pimple, new skin covers and replaces the pimple. In the oyster’s case, the Nacre covers the irritant and thereby turns it into a pearl overtime.

Here’s a link for more information.
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/marine-life/question630.htm

This stuff about seashells was inspired by my very own long forgotten collection of seashells. I actually just bought them from dollarama because they were just so PRETTY! However, just recently, my dad pointed them out on my dusty old shelf and started telling me about pearl mussels. It was just so interesting to hear that the little jewels we wear were once in a shell! To be honest, I never even thought about seashells being live creatures at one point. Silly of me, yes, I know. Now, my paranoid self even blames the “souls” of these seashells in my room for haunting me while I sleep. Nightmares. Sigh! Anyhow, that’s the little story behind this investigation on seashells.