Pearls are created by certain mollusks as a defense mechanism against a foreign body, such as a grain of sand that found its way into their shell, by forming a layer of mother-of-pearl (the conchiolin layer) around the intruder. The thicker this layer, the more exquisite the pearl’s magical luster. Cultured pearls are produced by transplanting foreign bodies into mollusk shells or by making tiny alterations in the shell tissue. The freshwater pearls used by BERND WOLF originate from China. Large round Chinese cultured pearls are produced by extracting the pearls from the mollusks after a certain amount of time, round-polishing them and then implanting them again. Keshi pearls have an irregular shape and are a byproduct of pearl cultivation. They are created, for example, by a mollusk filling the space where a pearl had grown before. Depending on the desired size and the type of pearl concerned, they are harvested after 15 to 72 months. Yvonne and Bernd Wolf travel to China twice a year to select exquisite, high-quality pearls. Pearls symbolize femininity, perfection, opulence, insightfulness and purity.

In Ancient Greece, the pearl was regarded as a symbol of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.