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Do all the oysters produce pearls?
Mollusks make pearls. In fact, every mollusk is capable of making pearls, however only pearl oysters and freshwater pearl mussels can make nacreous pearls. Only certain species of oysters can produce nacreous pearls. All of them, however, belong to the Pteriidae family, which is comprised of medium to large saltwater clams. This is a different family from the kind of oysters that people can eat, which is the family Ostreidae, or true oysters.

The genus Pinctada, also known as pearl oysters, are the members of the Pteriidae family that can produce gemstone quality pearls. Furthermore, among this Pinctada, only certain species produce commercially viable pearls.


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