Why is pearl not considered as a mineral?

Answer 1

A pearl is created by the oyster, a perfectly natural process and has been so since long before pearls were cultured. The oyster is trying to encapsulate an irritant, either a parasitic intruder (in the case of natural pearls, or a mother-of-pearl sphere inserted into the oyster's gonad (in the case of cultured pearls). The oyster 'cultures' the pearl by surrounding the irritant with CaCO3- heavy seawater until the calcium carbonate (limestone, chalk and seashell) condenses on it. If you have a wealthy Chemistry department, you can tease apart the regularly formed crystalline structure of the layers of calcium carbonate, or, to a jeweller, 'nacre'. The heart of a saltwater cultured pearl is a mother-of-pearl bead, but the deposit is completely regular layered scales of calcium carbonate. Therefore, yes, a pearl is most definitely a mineral, and also a semi-precious stone.

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A pearl might have a mineral at it's heart, but the outside of a pearl is a hardened substance called nacre that the mollusk secretes around a parasite that invades the mantle tissue.

Pearl is made of calcium carbonate with organic material (nacre) and water.

A pearl is not mineral. The five characteristics a mineral must have is that it must be solid, it has to have a chemical composition, it has to be inorganic, and it has to be naturally made, also it has to have a definite crystalline structure. The pearl contains chemicals within it so it has a chemical composition. It is inorganic of course (it isn't made of any remains or organic substances). It is not naturally made, however, making it not a mineral. Another reason it isn't a mineral is because of its shape. Minerals must have a definite crystalline structure, but a pearl is round, marking off the structure it must have to qualify to be a mineral. It also is quite obviously solid.

Answer 2

A mineral is defined as a naturally occurringsubstance, with a fixed chemical formula, and an ordered atomic structure.

Pearl is an animal product. Somewhat similarly, limestones are not in themselves minerals, though they are composed of known minerals such as calcite and aragonite. Opal is another curiosity, considered a mineraloid, as its atomic structure is not simply fixed. Though it is through the semi-ordered nature of its SiO2 components that give it its attractive 'fire'.

Answer 3

A pearl is produced by organic processes. Pearls, therefore, by the definition of a mineral, are not minerals or rocks, much as a skeleton or shell of an organism is not as well.

Answer 4

Sure, pearl, diamond, jade, ruby...there are many gemstones in the world

Answer 5

A pearl is not a mineral because it came from a living thing, therefore pearls are not silicates or nonsilicates.

Answer 6

No. It is an organic gemstone. Rocks are not organic.

Answer 7

a mineral

Answer 8

no

Answer 9

rock

Answer 10

no