Pearl | |
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State | |
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Capital | |
Population | 0 |
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate (mainly aragonite or a mixture of aragonite and calcite) in minute crystalline form, which has deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes, known as baroque pearls, can occur. The finest quality of natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries. Because of this, pearl has become a metaphor for something rare, fine, admirable and valuable.
The most valuable pearls occur spontaneously in the wild, but are extremely rare. These wild pearls are referred to as natural pearls. Cultured or farmed pearls from pearl oysters and freshwater mussels make up the majority of those currently sold.
Araguari | |
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State | Minas Gerais |
Country | Brazil |
Capital | |
Population | 114970 |
Araguari is a municipality in western Minas Gerais state, Brazil. It is in the northern Triângulo Mineiro region, on the Jordão River, a tributary of the Paranaíba River, at an elevation between 940 and 1,087 metres (3,084 and 3,566 ft). The municipality of Araguari has an area of 2,774 km2 (1,071 sq mi), with 54 km2 (21 sq mi) in the urban zone and 2,675 km2 (1,033 sq mi) in the rural zone.