Freshwater pearls produce a softer, subtler glow than those found in the sea because of the way light reflects and refracts off its various translucent layers, but they are formed in much the same way. When a foreign object like sand or a parasite enters a mussel, the mollusk coats the intruder with a secretion of calcium carbonate called nacre. It does this over and over until, over time, it hardens into a beautiful pearl.
Freshwater pearls come from various species of mussels that live in rivers, lakes, and ponds around the world. Early harvesting occurred in Scotland, where they were used in medieval jewelry, but that species of mussel is now endangered. Streams in Bavaria, England, and Ireland became the next source until English and French colonizers in America found Native Americans wearing strands of large, round, lustrous pearls. The Ohio, Mississippi, and Tennessee River basins caused an explosion in exports and gave the new world the name “Land of Pearls.”
As demand grew, the race was on to cultivate pearls and Japan succeeded in being the first to do so in Lake Biwa. An American named John Latendresse created the only freshwater pearl farm in North America on the banks of the Birdsong Creek in Tennessee, which still operates today. But it is China that is the major producer of the world’s freshwater pearls.
For centuries the powder of pearls has been used for both medicinal and cosmetic purposes. The powder is said to keep skin white and blemish-free. Energetically, freshwater pearls endow the owner with wisdom through experience and accelerate the laws of karma. They are said to bring the power of love, money, protection, and luck and to keep children safe.