**6.2 Cultured pearls**

It's similar to the natural pearls formed in mussels, except instead of an organism accidentally absorbing a foreign particle, a nucleus and a mantle graft are surgically implanted into the mussel. It is possible to create pearls of desired size, shape,

colour, and lustre using the culture method of obtaining natural pearls. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including round, half-round, and designer pearls, (**Figure 4**) depending on the nucleus utilised.
