Meet John, an American pearl diver and mussel diver based in Benton County, Tennessee. John shares his love of pearls and diving with us. Hear what John has to say in our video, Meet An American Pearl Diver.
“It’s rough,” says John about the conditions of diving in the Tennessee River, “This morning I couldn’t hardly see anything.” John sometimes has to dive based solely on a sense of feeling. In forty five minutes John was able to find about 40 shells which is pretty amazing when you consider that he cannot see and the waters can be very cold.
In one of John’s shells that we opened, he found a natural pearl. I must proudly disclose that he gave me the pearl! Woo hoo! Thanks John. It was my very first all natural pearl and, true to many natural pearls, it was not a classic gem quality pearl. In fact, the pearl was purple and the size and shape of a sesame seed.
I am a modern day treasure hunter who travels the world for gorgeous pearls and amazing adventures. I own a pearl jewelry and jewelry repair business, ThePearlGirls.com, with a cute retail store in Athens, GA. I also have a Pearl Travel business and travel blog at TheWorldofPearl.com.
