South Sea pearls are cultured by inserting a small piece of mantle tissue from a donor oyster into the mantle tissue of a host oyster. The host oyster is then placed in a farm or lagoon, where it is carefully tended until the pearl has grown to maturity, which can take up to two years. The resulting pearl is then harvested and sorted based on its size, shape, color, and quality. The process of culturing South Sea pearls is more complex and time-consuming than other types of pearls, which contributes to their higher value.
