Did Thomas Edison Invent the Pearl?

Did Thomas Edison Invent the Pearl?

Posted by The Wish Pearl on 2020 Feb 4th

In continuance of the quality product to which The Wish Pearl is committed, we are proud to tell you about our newest product, the Edison Pearl.

While it is true that pearls are grown and are not “invented,” Zhan Weijian, president of Grace Pearls, named his company’s Edison pearls after Thomas Edison ostensibly because of his admiration of the man.

Edisons are nucleated like saltwater pearls, with a mother of pearl bead inserted in the gonad of the mollusk. Sometimes two beads are placed there. Nucleation is the process that starts off the growth of a cultured or farmed pearl. It involves inserting something into a nacre-producing mollusk to trigger the production of a pearl.

Nacre, aka mother of pearl, is there to protect the tissues of the mollusk. A saline ocean or freshwater river is very hostile. In addition, the outer layers of the shells of the mollusk are abrasive and the oyster’s body is delicate and sensitive. The nacre lines the walls.

Edisons can be nucleated with different sized mother of pearl beads, from 5mm up to 8mm in size.

Bigger Edisons, such as what The Wish Pearl is offering, can range in size between 11mm and 14mm and some pearls can get up to 17mm. Our Edisons are between 11 and 12mm.

They are a nearly round, to round shape and the luster is very high, bordering on metallic. They come in white as well as in a range of natural colors of lavender, pink, champagne. The Wish Pearl currently carries white and lavender.

Because we at The Wish Pearl want you to have the latest and best, the actual grafting process has received three national patents so it truly is a new way of creating pearls! Once the grafting takes place, it takes up to three years of growth inside the mollusk before they can be harvested. As a result, they will be more expensive than our usually available, smaller pearls.

Having said that, some of our pendants are large enough to hold an Edison pearl. Please take a look at these jewelry items: