Discover Pearls in Tennessee Waters 

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 drive to one today. A freshwater pearl farm ­ the only one in North America ­ is actually located in Tennessee. Just over an hour west of Nashville near Camden, 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.

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.

Although only one-tenth of one percent of the world's cultured pearls comes from their waters, approximately 90% of all cultured pearls begin with a mother-of-pearl nucleus taken from the shell of a Tennessee mussel. They are highly prized by pearl farmers around the world for their thickness, strength and rich mother-of-pearl mantle. The exportation of mussels adds a sizable chunk to Tennessee's budget ­ the pearl industry brings in as much as $50 million each year.

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 also 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 placed 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 every day, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

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 .

Birdsong Resort owner
Bob Keast harvesting a basket of mussels.

Chessey Latendresse prepares to place implanted mussels in
the river to create
cultured pearls.

Divers search the river for mussels for implantation.