Making Pearls
Part of the Pearls exhibition.
Timed-entry ticket reservations continue to be required for Museum entry. Facial coverings are strongly recommended. See Health and Safety.
Part of the Pearls exhibition.
Despite the general ability of mollusks to produce pearls, very few of the ones with single shells (gastropods) do so. Most pearls come from bivalves, the mollusks with two-part shells. The explanation lies in biological and ecological differences between these two groups of mollusks.