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Discover Pearls in Tennessee
Women love them, and men love how they look on women. Pearls have been hunted
and treasured for thousands of years for their unblemished beauty. They were
believed to have magical powers by the Aztecs and Mayans, and in Rome, Julius
Caesar only allowed the rulers of the Roman Empire to wear them. Likewise, laws
in Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries dictated who could wear
pearls-lawyers and teachers were excluded.
The culturing of pearls is
generally attributed first to the Chinese in the 13th century when they began
implanting Buddha figures in mollusks to produce blister pearls, or "half
pearls". In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Japanese patented processes for
creating cultured pearls and eventually became a dominant power in pearl
farming. Consequently, most people believe they would have to travel to Japan to
see a pearl farm.
In fact, you could load up the RV and drive to one today.
There a freshwater pearl farm-the only one in North America-is actually located
right in our own "backyard."
Just over an hour west of Nashville near
Camden, Tenn., the Birdsong Resort, Marina and Campground is home to the
Tennessee Freshwater Pearl Farm and Museum. The current owner, Bob Keast,
enthusiastically oversees operations and tours to this gem hidden among the
forests of western Tennessee.
Bob's parents bought Birdsong Resort in 1961
and took over operating the marina and campground. About the same time, John and
Chessey Latendresse moved from New York to Camden. They were successful pearl
dealers, but they had bigger plans-to create the first freshwater pearl farm in
America using the skills Chessey learned in her native Japan. In the late 1970s,
they established eight pilot farms, and after years of trial and error and
investing millions of dollars in the business, the right methods and the best
species of mussel to use were discovered. The farms were consolidated at
Birdsong Retreat, and their first harvest came in the early 1980s.
Bob
started conducting tours on a small scale in the early 1990s. Today, the Resort
receives more than 300,000 visitors annually from group tours, RVers and
tourists off Interstate 40, and from boaters off the Tennessee River's Kentucky
Lake.
Because of those efforts, the pearl was declared the official gem of
the State of Tennessee in 1979.
Although only one-tenth of one percent of
the world's cultured pearls come from their waters, approximately 90% of all
cultured pearls begin with a mother-of-pearl nucleus taken from the shell of a
Tennessee mussel. Unbeknown to most, the exportation of Tennessee River mussels
adds a sizable chunk to the State's agri-business output-the freshwater pearl
industry brings in as much as $50 million. Tennessee mussels, particularly the
washboard mussel, are highly prized by pearl farmers the world over for their
thickness, strength and rich mother-of-pearl mantle.
Although most of us are
familiar with round or oval pearls, nuclei made from the mother-of-pearl
interior of a mussel can be carved into a variety of shapes to create pearls in
unique shapes: spherical, triangle, heart, coin, baroque, marquee, etc. The
Chinese still make pearls in the Buddha shape today.
Pearls come in a
kaleidoscope of colors: yellow, silver, pink, cream, gray, black, brown and so
on. Although Americans prefer white pearls, South Americans favor yellow
pearls.
Everyone knows how an oyster or mussel secretes nacre to coat an
irritant and make a pearl. But how does one farm a pearl?
The beautiful end
result begins at the bottom of a murky river. Scuba divers search the river
bottoms for mature mussels, which they bring up and sell to the pearl farm. The
mussels are then placed in a stable water environment until the implantation
procedure begins. Once taken out of the water, mussels can only survive for
three to eight hours, so skilled technicians must implant it quickly. Even
though other farms around the world insert up to 50 nuclei at a time,
technicians here place a maximum of ten, which results in a success rate of 95%.
After implantation, 18 mussels are places in vertical baskets and coded with
a band listing the date of insertion, the harvest date, the pearls' shapes and
which technician performed the procedure. The basket is then suspended 18 inches
below the surface of the water, dangling from PVC pipes. The "pearl incubators"
are left there for 18 months to three years. When harvest time comes, it's like
opening presents on Christmas morning.
Pearl enthusiasts can take either a
three- or a five-hour tour ($29.50 and
$49.50-the latter includes lunch) and
get a bird's eye view of pearl culturing. On the $49.50 guided excursion, groups
receive a demonstrative narration of the two-to-three-year process it takes to
produce a quality freshwater pearl. Reservations are required for both tours,
and minimum group size is 10 people. If you have fewer people, you can be added
to another group. Mussel divers work from April through November.
On a daily
basis and free of charge, you can attend a mini-theater, visit the museum and
pearl jewelry showroom. The museum features displays about pearl farming and the
history of the pearl industry. The showroom offers showcases of pearl jewelry to
browse and purchase at special farm prices. The showroom is open year 'round,
except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
While there, plan to
stay or day or two at Birdsong Resort, which offers excellent fishing for
catfish, bass, crappie and bluegill. The resort has swimming, ping pong,
basketball, volleyball, shuffleboard, picnicking and more. The Nathan Bedford
Forrest State Park and the Tennessee River Folklife Museum are nearby, as is the
Old Johnsonville Civil War Battleground. Birdsong Resort is located at 255
Marina Rd. in Camden, Tenn. (Take exit 133 off I-40.) For more info, call
800-225-7469 or visit www.BirdsongResort.com
or
www.TennesseeRiverPearls.com.
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