| Mabé pearls,
also called assembled, domé, chicot, or button pearls, are
cultured blister pearls that require assembly after production. The
basic technique involves inserting a flat-bottomed plastic dome, most
popularly a half-sphere, heart-shape, oval, or teardrop shape, between
the mantle and shell of an anaesthetized pearl oyster. Several domes
can be inserted on one or both valves of the shell, placed carefully
to assure that the oyster will be able to close its shell unimpeded.
As with natural blister pearls, nacre is secreted over the dome by
the overlying mantle tissue. Following a culture period of a year
or less, the mollusk is opened, the mabe' pearls are cut out of the
shell, and the plastic molds are removed. The hollow interior of each
pearl is filled with paste or wax for support. To complete the mabé,
a disc of mother-of-pearl or other material is glued to the bottom. |
