Episode
NOVA: The Perfect Pearl
Overview
For centuries, man has risked both life and life savings to possess the pearl's beauty. Pure and perfect, glowing and dazzling, a pearl is actually a mistake formed when an oyster reacts to an irritant lodged in its shell. Go back to the late 18th century to meet Kokichi Mikimoto, who developed a technique for culturing pearls that's still used today. Travel to a Japanese oyster hatchery to see how technology is advancing pearl cultivation. Watch divers search for the immense pearls found in the world's largest oyster, the Pinctada maxima. See a strand of South Sea perfect pearls worth $2.3 million. And discover little-known facts as authors, zoologists, scientists and pearl experts reveal the pearl's wondrous history.
Details
- Series
- NOVA
- Season
- Season 25
- Episode
- Episode 20
- Air date
- 1998-12-29
- Runtime
- 55 min
Episode context
The Perfect Pearl is Episode 20 in Season 25 of NOVA. It aired on 1998-12-29. The runtime is 55 min.
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