gold-lip pearl shell
Quick Summary
The gold-lip pearl oyster, scientifically known as Pinctada maxima, is a large marine bivalve mollusk. It is distinguished by the yellowish hue of its inner shell margin, contrasting with the white or silvery margin of the similar "silver lip" pearl oyster.12
Pearl oysters, including the gold-lip variety, are valued for the precious pearls they produce. These oysters, along with "true oysters," are bivalve mollusks found in temperate and warm coastal waters worldwide. The inner surfaces of their shells are smooth and white, while the outer surfaces are rough and typically gray. Oysters filter tiny organic particles from the water for food using cilia on their gills.34
Pearls are formed when an irritant becomes lodged inside the oyster. The mollusk then secretes nacre, the same material that lines its shell, in layers around the irritant, creating a pearl.5
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