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CONSCIOUS CONSUMER
A pearl growing naturally inside an oyster
In the olden days the lustrous and beautiful natural pearls were a symbol of wealth and pride for those who owned them. For those who care about Ahimsä, the pearl is a symbol of pain and suffering.
Pearls
Pearls are a response to an irritation caused by a foreign particle. It naturally occurs when sand or a bit of a shell is accidentally trapped inside the oyster. It is like having a foreign particle in the human eye, causing irritation until it is removed. Generally, the
An artificial nucleus inserted into an oyster
ication rationa
oyster cannot expel the foreign particle. To reduce the pain it secretes a substance called nacre, which surrounds the particle. After several years layers of nacre form a pearl around the particle making it less painful. Due to this natural process pearls were rarely found.
To avoid waiting for natural pearls humans started searching for young oysters in the deep ocean to make cultured pearls. A short while after the oysters are removed from the sea an artificial irritant - a nucleus graft - is inserted in them.
A pearl being pulled out of an oyster before the oyster is thrown out
The nucleated oysters are returned to the sea, in specific areas, so that they can be retrieved later. Here the oysters feed and grow depositing lustrous layers of nacre around their nuclei to avoid the pain of a foreign particle.
After a period of 3 to 4 months the oysters are ready for harvest. They are brought ashore and opened with sterile instruments. Sometimes the oysters are used several times before they are bruised and can no longer be used. Then they are thrown away.
THE FIRST STEP OF JAINISM
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