The Oyster: Great Mother of Pearls

Most jewelry is fashioned out of precious metals and jewels that are found buried in the Earth, but pearls are found inside a living creature, an oyster. Pearls are the result of a biological process -- the oyster's way of protecting itself from foreign substances. Oysters live in shallow salt water and are commonly found along the southern coast of the United States. Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida are very well known for oyster production. Most pearls are produced by oysters in both freshwater and saltwater environments. Oysters live on the sea floor or attached to rocks.

Oysters breathe much like fish, using both gills and mantle. The mantle is lined with many small, thin-walled blood vessels which extract oxygen from the water and expel carbon dioxide. A small, three-chambered heart, lying under the adductor muscle, pumps colorless blood, with its supply of oxygen, to all parts of the body. At the same time a pair of kidneys located on the underside of the muscle purify the blood of any waste products it has collected.

Starfish is a predator of the oyster. Oysters have many natural enemies. Besides sea birds, sand crabs, and human oyster catchers, there are also snails, sea stars and sting ray.

Oysters, best known for their reputed aphrodisiac powers and have been linked with love over the centuries. Oysters were even traded by Roman emperors for gold, and long considered a delicacy. Although they are highly nutritious, it is unfortunate that many people believe these brilliant creatures are valuable for no more than a delicious entrée.

The "R" Myth.

Folklore says that oysters should be eaten only in months with "r's" in them—September, October, etc. Maestro S.V.P. educates people that oysters can be eaten 12 months a year. The notion that oysters should not be eaten in "r"-less months—that is, months that occur during warm weather—may have started in the days when oysters where shipped without adequate refrigeration and could spoil. But today all that has changed and we can enjoy oysters twelve months a year.

Fresh water pearls are given on the 1st wedding anniversary. Pearls are also given on the 3rd, 12th and 30th anniversaries.