As the work of traditional pearl divers. Photo

Curious about the profession of a diver for pearls.

Pearl jewelry is the only material of animal origin. Unlike gemstones formed within the earth, pearls are formed in clams, for which a complex process of creating a solid, rounded material is only the consequence of a defensive reaction of the organism.

When injected into the shell of a foreign body, such as grains of sand, parasites, drop of water, he starts to protect him, enveloping the foreign object with layers of nacre. In the result of a foreign object, causing inconvenience, is immured in a small ball.

The highest quality pearls form the clams. Behind him men began to dive, presumably, about 4,000 years ago. Extraction of natural pearls is considered dangerous and risky craft. It requires certain skills and knowledge that many divers passed on from generation to generation that has made this profession the fishery closed groups of people and entire Nations.

The largest deposits of pearl are on the coast of the red sea, Persian Gulf, Ceylon, Tahiti, off the coast of India and Iran.

In the Arsenal of some modern pearl divers, you can find mask and scuba gear. But some members of this ancient craft continues to take the old-fashioned way without any equipment, taking with him only a knife and a grid for the pearl.

Dive divers use a boat tied to a stone. They jump with it into water, after which the stone rises up and transfer to another diver. This technique is still used catchers Indian tribe parava.

During the day divers can descend into the water 40-50 times and collect the pearls out of 200 shells.

Trained divers can stay under water 50 to 80 seconds.

Their craft is hereditary, the divers begin to teach their children from an early age. Thus, by 7-8 years kids can easily dive to a few meters, and 15 years dive for pearls as adults.

In Japan, the pearls are predominantly women. Until the mid XX century the AMA divers plunged into the abyss, with nothing but a knife mounted on a loincloth. The modern representative of the AMA wear special costumes and wearing flippers and a mask.

Every step of the pearl divers lurking dangers weight. During a dive they can meet on its way to jellyfish, sea snakes, sharks and other clearly unfriendly representatives of the underwater Kingdom.

The age of divers who continue to dive without special equipment, is not so long. Often in 30 years, the divers look like old people. Side profession as poor eyesight, deafness, trembling hands and rheumatism.

Now the fishery in the traditional form are slowly dying. Diving for pearls is solved mainly by those who have no opportunity to choose another profession.

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