Is there anything more elegant than a pearl? You might get another answer from the freshwater oysters who made these things, who see them effectively as calluses against an irritant that got between their shells. In any case they're fabulous.
“For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more. And this is said in disparagement, whereas it is one of the greatest talents the species has and one that has made it superior to animals that are satisfied with what they have.”
― John Steinbeck, The Pearl