few places on earth remain as untouched
as Australia's Northwest this coastline
is one of the last pristine places
remaining on our planet between Broome
and Darwin the coast is as wild today as
it was when Europeans settled the
continent over 200 years ago thousands
of miles of uninhabited wilderness where
the ocean teams with life
some we know and others whose secrets
are hidden in the deep like this
creature Australia's South Sea pearl
oyster also known as the silver lipped
oyster although it's not much to look at
on the outside on the inside it has the
ability to produce one of the most
valuable gems known to mankind any
mollusk that produces a shell can
produce a pearl that includes abalone
marine snails clams mussels and oysters
the South Sea pearl oyster that lives
here produces the cream of the crop it's
a solitary creature that can grow to
around one foot living for up to forty
years
as a result the pearls it creates are
the largest most lustrous along in
recent years a single Australian South
Sea pearl was sold for over 1.5 million
dollars the notion that a pearl always
forms when a grain of sand enters the
creature is a myth another possibility
is that some tiny organism invades the
creature and disrupts the cells in the
mantle then something miraculous happens
the oyster begins to secrete a smooth
crystalline substance known as nacre
nacre
or mother of pearl is made of the same
material that forms the inside of the
shell this combination of calcium
carbonate and protein is both lighter
and stronger than concrete it takes
several years for thousands of layers of
nacre
to build up and create a smooth
iridescent gem but it's a rare event a
pearl of value is found in less than 1
in 10,000 wild pearl oysters