pearl - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The water recycling plant – the largest of its kind – treats water for reuse in steam production and cooling.

This article was most recently revised and updated by, Western Australia Museum - Australian Pearling Industry. The surface of a pearl is rough to the touch. Upstream, Pearl GTL produces and processes around 1.6 billion cubic feet a day of wellhead gas from the world’s largest single non-associated gas field – the North Field – which stretches from Qatar’s coast out into the Gulf. The offshore scope includes 22 development wells, two unmanned wellhead platforms in about 30 metres of water and two 30-inch pipelines running about 60km to shore. 50, No. Photo by Jian Xin (Jae) Liao. All occur in delicate shades. 2. Comprehensive CAD/CAM For Jewelry Certificate. Right: White bead-like shell material was exposed at a damaged area near the drill hole (magnified 10×). It is a highly valued gemstone. Pearl, concretion formed by a mollusk consisting of the same material (called nacre or mother-of-pearl) as the mollusk’s shell. Pāua is the Māori name given to three New Zealand species of large edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs which belong to the family Haliotidae (in which there is only one genus, Haliotis), known in the United States and Australia as abalone, and in the United Kingdom as ormer shells. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Our gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology uses natural gas instead of crude oil to make liquid fuels, base oils for lubricants and other high-quality products. Imitation pearls made of shell, or “shell pearls,” have a long history in the jewelry market and have been reported in previous Lab Notes columns (Fall 1984, p. 170; Winter 1986, p. 239; Summer 2001, pp. Exploring China's Gem and Jewelry Industry, Expedition to Mogok, the "Valley of Rubies", Gemfields Inaugural Rough Ruby Auction in Singapore, Behind the Scenes of a Gemological Field Expedition, The Smithsonian Gem and Mineral Collection, Carnegie Research: Every Diamond Tells a Story. What is Shell's Net Carbon Footprint ambition? In all pearl fisheries, however, production has declined significantly since the widespread introduction of cultured pearls (see cultured pearl). The colour of pearls varies with the mollusk and its environment. It ranges from black to white, with the rose of Indian pearls esteemed most. Think of it this way: all nacre producing mollusks will have a mother of pearl coating inside their shell that can be used in jewelry. The proprietary Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (SMDS) process is at the heart of the two-train Pearl GTL plant. How will the world produce more, cleaner energy to power our homes and cities, and fuel our vehicles in decades to come?

The more perfect a pearl’s shape (spherical or droplike) and the deeper its lustre, the greater its value.

While the name derives from the Italian ... and they are part of the animal's shell rather than a true pearl. Those weighing less than 1/4 grain (1 pearl grain = 50 mg = 1/4 carat) are called seed pearls.
Human solutions to global challenges: find out how you can develop your career in our technical teams. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Together with Qatargas 4, Pearl GTL represents Shell’s multi-billion dollar commitment to Qatar that was developed in line with the company’s sustainable development principles. The pure gas, or methane, that remains then flows to the GTL section of the plant, where it is combined with oxygen and converted in a state-of-the-art three-stage process into a range of gas-to-liquids products using Shell proprietary technology.

Pearl GTL continues to run some of the largest gas processing trains in the world and is doing so safely and reliably. With a capacity to treat 280,000 barrels of water a day, Pearl GTL’s water treatment plant is comparable to that for a city of 140,000 people.
© 2002 - document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); Gemological Institute of America Inc. GIA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. …Christian mosaics, tesserae of mother-of-pearl or coarse-grained marble cut to round or oblong shapes were used to depict pearl.