Pearls?

[TheQueen]

I was cleaning out my room and found my old pearl necklace, and it got me thinking. Are pearls vegetarian/vegan? I know oysters make the pearls, but do oysters die and then people take the pearls, or do people take the pearls and leave the oysters to make a new one? Or do people hunt the oysters for the meat and then collect the pearls? Does it hurt oysters for someone to take their pearl?

I realized I have no idea of anything concerning pearls, so I thought someone on here might know? I have a feeling I'll soon be getting rid of my old pearl necklace! Thanks for any info guys!

[HowietheGreat]

I would imagine that they are killed for the pearls. I've never thought about it before but I can't imagine they survive the pearls being harvested......I'm disgusted this has never occured to me.....

[TheQueen]

That's what I figured, too, but you never know, so I thought I'd ask.

[sweetjay6891]

Fake pearls are the way to go! (they are cheaper too) <3

[JarBax]

I imagine most pearls are farmed - and wouldn't have thought the conditions are wonderful. If you were strictly vegan, you would not eat or use any animal product - and I suppose that includes pearls.

[PiggieMamaKelly]

Wow, I never thought of this before. It doesn't seem like it would hurt the oyster to take the pearl, and I'm not sure why someone would kill the oyster unnecessarily if it could keep making pearls for them. I have no clue about this. Good thing I'm partial to diamonds.

[TheQueen]

I use fake pearls anyways, but the thought came to my mind today. I thought the people that "hunted" the oysters for meat might harvest the pearls to sell as well, therefore killing the oyster in doing so. I don't think they would keep the oysters to make more pearls for them because it takes an oyster sometimes over 100 years to make one pearl. But I really have no idea on the methods of obtaining the pearls.

[hydrohoki]

I'm pretty sure it kills the oyster to take the pearl. I could be wrong though.

I wouldn't buy myself a pearl necklace, but I also wouldn't part with the heirlooms I have that have pearls.

[Fluffball]

If an oyster is opened it dies as the adductor muscle and the internal features are either cut open with a knife or heat in the case of food preperation to remove the pearl or meat.

The pearl is removed, this tears the inside muscles of the oyster and it can no longer close, feed or protect itself. There are different species of oysters not all will produce pearls some are seeded such as in pearl farming. However the result is always the same... the death of the animal.

I also have an old family heirloom thats a pearl necklace. I don't agree with the pratice of pearls, but if I simply sell it that may deem the oyster died in vain and i'll be making money off the practice.

[smartorl]

I was going to say the same thing. I live in a major tourism zone and there are several shops that sell oysters with the pearls in them. The oysters sit in a bucket of water on the counter until someone wants to buy one, a knife is used to open the oyster, the purchaser cleans the pearl and chooses a setting while the oyster is chucked into the trash. Wasteful at the very least, although I can't imagine that sitting in a bucket of water with no filtration would be so swell either.

[bleachmiracle]

I've watched a pearl get taken out of an oyster before when I was young. They use and knife to pry it open grabbed the pearl out and chucked the oyster on the ground. It was sad.

[Susan9608]

Here's PETA's opinion on pearls: Ask Carla

I love pearls, and I hate diamonds. When I got engaged, I got a fake pearl engagement ring, and I love it. You can't tell the difference between it and a real pearl, and I feel good knowing I didn't kill an oyster or contribute to the exploitation of diamond miners.

[JarBax]

An option instead of profiteering, in 'getting rid of' a pearl necklace could be to donate it to a charity, where they can auction/sell it to raise funds for their good cause, You will not have gained from the death/exploitation of the oyster, and it will not have died in vain.

[TheQueen]

Ah, thanks for setting things straight for me everyone! I don't know what I'm going to do with the pearl necklace I found while cleaning as of yet, but I'm not necessarily in love with pearls anyways, so fake ones are great with me! That's all I have anyways, save the one necklace. Thanks again!

[MCR_Rox]

One time, when I was at Florida, I went to get one of those pearls from the oyster things. I think they cut it in half or something. They might've ripped it apart.