Tooth Bud

Tooth buds (from the Latin gemma - pearl) are spawning buds inside the tooth germ in some mollusks (bivalves and gastropods). From such a bud, in due time, a small pearl embryo is formed, which subsequently goes through the stages of intrauterine development until hatching under water. Under favorable conditions, a pearl grows from it. This happens once every 8-10 years. It occurs only when the weight of the pearl oyster reaches a certain value. It is believed that the best pearls are with a diameter of 7 to 13 mm, although, of course, there are smaller and larger pearls. At the moment, more than 46,000 have been collected