THE RELATION BETWEEN THE CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE OF THE CULTURED PEARLS AND THE ELONGATION OF THE TRANSPLANTED MANTLE TISSUE IN THE PROCESS OF PEARL-SAC FORMATION

Abstract

The relation between the crystalline structure of the nacre and the behavior of the shell-forming tissue was studied for the culture pearls of Pinctada martensii. The results showed that the arrangement of growing crystals on the nacreous surface is governed by the behavior and the elongation of the grafted mantle epithelium.