An oyster of record breaking size in the UK has been discovered in a market in Plymouth. Narrowly escaping becoming someone’s luxury dinner the giant shellfish, unashamedly nicknamed ‘Shelly’ by the newspapers, measures 7” across and weighs 3lb. It’s currently residing in the local aquarium, where it is on public display and proving to be quite the celebrity.

Unfortunately for fashionistas who are loving the current revival of pearl jewellery though, there’s no chance of a giant hidden gem inside the shell, because Shelly is the wrong type of oyster. It’s an especially large example of a species called the edible oyster, which are native to the English Channel. Although edible oysters do secrete a hard substance called ‘pearls’ it is of no value, unlike those which come from other species of oyster.

The valuable pearls used to make pearl earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other jewellery are found in Pteriidae or feathered oysters, which nowadays are farmed on large pearl farms across the world, mainly in China. Pearls are formed when an irritant gets into the oyster’s shell and it coats it with layers of a substance called nacre to make it smooth. Natural pearls are a lot more highly valued than the cultured variety as they are difficult to find and fully formed, perfectly round natural pearls are rare.

People have been wearing pearls throughout history, traditionally worn by brides on their wedding day as well as the rich and glamorous across countless generations. They are a sign of purity and love, and large pearls are a way of publicly displaying wealth and class. The introduction of cultured pearls to the jewellery market has made them more widely available in recent years, and the popular vintage fashion revival along with a number of high profile celebrities publicly displaying their love for pearl sets and other classic jewellery means pearls are as desirable as ever. Michelle Obama is the latest in a long line of celebrities showing off their pearls in the fashion pages, she is becoming a star in her own right for her individual style and ‘imaginative’ choice of accessories combining pearls, brooches and waisted belts.

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