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"Natural Pearl, Definition"

By Carly Wickell, About.com

Definition: A pearl that begins as a piece of grit or other forein substance that makes its way into the shell of a marine or freshwater mollusk (oysters, clams). A defense mechanism kicks-in to coat the particle with layer after layer of a substance called nacre, eventually forming a pearl.

A natural pearl is a pearl that forms in nature with no human intervention.

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