A pearl's beauty is matched only by its mystique. For centuries, man has risked both life and life savings to possess its beauty. Pure and perfect, glowing and dazzling, a pearl is actually a brilliant mistake formed when an oyster reacts to an irritant lodged in its shell. Join NOVA for a fascinating trip inside the pearl's precious world and learn how these wonders of nature are fast becoming wonders of science.

Go back in time to meet Kokichi Mikimoto, who developed a technique for culturing pearls in the late 18th century that's still practiced today. Travel to a Japanese oyster hatchery to see how technology is advancing pearl cultivation. Watch divers search for the immense pearls found in the world's largest oyster, the Pinctada maxima. See a strand of South Sea perfect pearls worth $2.3 million. And discover little-known facts as authors, zoologists, scientists and pearl experts reveal the pearl's wondrous yet little-known history.