Grey natural pearls found

[Vipin Sharma]

Grey natural pearls found

Himachal Pradesh, famous as the abode of Gods, has joined the ranks of pearl-producing states of the country. Sunday was a red-letter day for the state as three grey natural pearls were found at the Pong Dam in Kangra district. The first ever finding of precious gemstones in freshwater is being seen as a boon for the state and has the potential to boost the economy of the hill state. Grey pearls are very rare depending on the age of the animal/mussel inside the shell.
These findings have generated immense interest among nature lovers who feel that more research should be conducted so that the potential of this precious gem could be exploited for the welfare of the Himachalis and the country as a whole.

Curiosity was writ large on the faces of employees of the Fisheries Department, including assistant director, Pong Dam, Ashok Kumar Verma, when they spotted certain shells on the bed of the dam on Sunday. After collecting the mussels embedded with grey natural pearls, they informed the director-cum-warden, fisheries, BD Sharma, at Bilaspur about the same.

Verma claimed to have found three natural pearls during his inspection at the dam. The size of one pearl was 3 mm and two were 2 mm. The shells of freshwater mussels embedded with grey natural pearls were lying along with millions of shells spread over the reservoir bed.

An elated Sharma, however, claimed that the department had already introduced freshwater pearl culture in lower Shivalik hills, especially in Una district. He claimed that more than 16 fish farmers were engaged in culturing the freshwater mussels (Lamellaeden marginellis) in their fish-ponds.

A progressive fish farmer of the district, Dinanath of Bangana, has been successfully producing design pearls for the past one year.

“We have been exploring the possibilities of mussels stock in the Pong reservoir for its further extension since February. Certain farmers in Kangra district have preferred stock due to its good quality than what is available in the rivers of Una,” he claimed.