So I took any gig I could — from discount stores to dive bars — praying that someone would find a pearl of talent within me. Eventually the world was my oyster, but I've never been able to ...

An curved arrow pointing right. At Pearl Factory, customers can handpick their very own oyster. Once they've opened the oyster, they can create jewelry with their pearl. More from Entertainment At ...

The oyster or mussel slowly secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin, materials that also make up its shell. This creates a material called nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, which encases the ...