US Pearl Cultivation | Tennessee & Mississippi River Basin

American Pearl Production

Pearl Sources

The principle sources of gem quality saltwater pearls are the mollusks and oysters found in warm tropical seas, primarily in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. Freshwater pearl oysters live in many lakes and rivers throughout China, Japan, Southeast Asia and the United States.

US Pearl Production

Early Native American Indians living along the South Atlantic coast and Mississippi River Basin were the first 'Americans' to use mother-of-pearl and freshwater pearls, from the Unionidae mussel. The United States has been a major source of freshwater pearls from the the 17th century through the 19th century. However, over-harvesting and increasing water pollution has more recently reduced the number of available pearl-forming mussels in the United States.

Tennessee Pearl Farms

Pearl farming exists along the Atlantic Coastal in Tennessee, and areas of the Mississippi River Basin, in the south. Tennessean, John R. Latendresse established the US cultivated freshwater pearl industry in 1963, by starting the American Pearl Company in Camden. Since then, some 30 states have had some form of freshwater pearl production.

The 'Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Farm,' founded by John Latendresse in 1979, is one of the only freshwater pearl culturing farms in America. The pearl farm and 'Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum' are located on Kentucky Lake, near Camden. The freshwater pearl is the official "sate gem" for Tennessee.

Species of American pearl mussels include the butterfly, elephant ear, heelsplitter, mapleleaf, pimple back, pistol grip, three-ridge pigtoe, and washboard mussels. Pearl mussels are harvested from the Tennessee river bed, placed into nets and transported to the pearl farm where they will be nucleated. For the next three to five years, the water temperature and water quality are closely monitored, to insure the health of the nucleated mussels.

The American Shell Company located in Big Sandy, Tennessee and the Tennessee Shell Company harvest mollusk shells from the Tennessee River, that will be crushed and sold as seed material to be used internationally by the cultured pearl industry.

Hawaiian Pearl Farms

Pearl cultivation is relatively new to Hawaii. After starting its tank-based oyster hatchery in 1992, Kona based Black Pearls Inc. plans to develop pearl farms on Keehi Lagoon, on Oahu. These Hawaiian pearl farms will cultivate the indigenous Hawaiian blacklip pearl oyster, or Pinctada margaritifera galtsoffi, gathered from Keahole Point on Hawaii's Kohala Coast.

Black Pearls Inc. of Kona, Hawaii currently has pearl farms on Majuro in the Marshall Islands, and is developing silver-lip pearl oyster pearl farms in Thailand. Further testing is being conducted in the waters of Kealakekua Bay, Kaneohe Bay, Kawaihae Harbor, and on Molokai.

Bibliography & Suggestions for Further Study on American Pearls

1. American Pearl Company, The Latendresse Family's American Pearl Company . americanpearlcompany.com

2. Hawaii, Black Pearls Inc. - Kona Hawaii . www.blackpearlsinc.com

3. Richard Fassler, The Return of the American Pearl . www.islandpearls.net

4. USGS, American Pearls . minerals.usgs.gov

5. , Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum . www.tennesseeriverpearls.com