David Fleetham / Thorny Oyster shell (Spondylus varians), Komodo, Indonesia.

Juergen Freund / Cultured Golden South Sea pearls of the Pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) Jewelmer pearls, Philippines

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, Golden south sea pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) are prepared with plastic wedges to have nuclei inserted for the creation of cultured pearls, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Goldlip pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) opened, with cultured Golden South Sea pearl on beach, Jewelmer Pearlfarm, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Baby Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) at Jewelmer Pearlfarm, two months spats (2 mm in size) and three months (10mm in size) Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Details of Thorny oyster (Spondylus varius) with "eyes" in its mantle edge near the shell, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm workers clean each pearl oyster regularly taking off barnacles and anything that grows on the shell, Philippines, April 2010

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, Pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima) in hanging cage, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, newly cleaned Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) hanging in nets from rafts waiting to be relocated to open sea, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, cleaned Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) in hanging cage in the open sea, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, cleaned Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) in hanging cages, being relocated to the open sea, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009

Juergen Freund / Jewelmer Pearlfarm, cleaned Pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) in hanging nets, being relocated to the open sea, Palawan, Philippines, May 2009