A "Pearl" of a Tour

"But the pearls were accidents, and the finding of one was luck, a little pat on the back by God..."

~John Steinbeck

The only one of its kind, I went to the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Farm and Museum today. Located right here in Birdsong Creek near Camden Tennessee, in an embayment right off Kentucky Lake, tucked in behind the marina, exists the only farm that cultivates freshwater pearls in North America! I enjoyed a brief video which highlighted the pearl farm as it was featured on a nationally broadcast television show and I learned so much about how freshwater pearls are cultured and harvested. The implanting techniques and the variables which create different shapes and colors...It was fascinating. I just couldn't believe it was right here within walking distance of where Ithaka is docked! After being implanted, the mussels used are set into nets which are attached to floating PVC pipes (click on photograph to enlarge). There are literally hundreds of thousands of mussels in the farm, known as a "garden". After leaving the museum I toured the farm on my own. There is a variety of mollusks species used for pearl farming...and very few places on earth that offer the conditions deemed ideal for such an operation....and here I am...Alas, divine appointments are made for me each day.