What if oysters offer objects beyond pearls like charcoal or diamonds? They’d be more precious and would all be gone by now since people would hunt them down to extinction. Next to diamonds, pearls are ladies’ best friends. The largest and darkest of the “black-lipped” shells are found in Tahiti as Tahiti seems to be the predestined producer of the world’s finest black pearls because of the nature of the superb shells that thrive there. Yet, South Sea pearls or the Philippine pearls command high prices throughout the world due to their relative scarcity, large sizes, extended cultivation period, thicker nacreous coating and natural colors. Pearls are found inside a living creature, an oyster, as the result of a biological process—oyster’s way of protecting itself from foreign substances.

The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oysters, i.e. Gulf oysters, between the mantle and the shell, which irritates the mantle. It’s like an oyster getting a splinter, so, the oyster’s natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. Thus, a pearl is a foreign substance covered with layers of nacre and come in a variety of colors (white, black, gray, red, blue, and green). Most pearls can be found all over the world, but black pearls and south sea pearls are indigenous to the South Pacific especially in the Philippines.

But be oyster aware! Despite the risks of Vibrio vulnificus and other health conditions, many of us love to eat oysters. If you have liver disease, diabetes or a weak immune system, you should avoid eating raw oysters, considering the potential hazards associated with eating raw ones. The consumption of raw oysters by healthy individuals will not result in severe Vibrio vulnificus infection. Serious illness and death can result when at-risk individuals consume raw oysters. The health conditions that place individuals in the at-risk consumer category include: Liver Disease (from hepatitis, cirrhosis, alcoholism, or cancer), Iron overload disease (hemochromatosis), Diabetes, Cancer (including lymphoma, leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease), Stomach Disorders, or or any illness or medical condition that weakens the body’s immune system. We can reduce the risk of illness by eating oysters that have been post-harvest processed or eliminate the risk of illness by eating well-cooked oysters. BeOysterAware.com provides necessary information for everyone that are really very helpful. Take time to visit this highly informative website to know more about the risks of eating oysters.