Color and Overtone
Part of the Pearls exhibition.
Facial coverings and timed-entry ticket reservations continue to be required for Museum entry. See Health and Safety.
Part of the Pearls exhibition.
Pearls occur naturally in a spectacular array of colors, ranging from white to gold, purple and black. A pearl's color depends on both the species of mollusk that produced the pearl and the environment in which the animal lived. In general, crystals of aragonite are white or colorless. The natural color of a pearl is mostly due to conchiolin, which contains organic pigments.