Pearl Sand Is Used for? In Minecraft, pearls are highly sought-after items used to craft certain kinds of armor and weapons. You can obtain these gems by mining Sand Blocks found in ocean or desert biomes or crafting them yourself using a furnace; Order of the Hour style armor sets and weapons often utilize pearl sands. Pearls form for various reasons, but one widely held theory holds that their formation occurs when a tiny particle of sand lands inside an oyster shell and causes irritation for its inhabitants. Once this happens, layers of nacre can form around it to form pearls. Pearl sand consists of many tiny grains stuck together by adhesion forces; this explains its distinctive appearance when observed through a microscope. To adhere cohesively, however, water must be present for the grains to adhere effectively; otherwise it will form lumpy accumulations that cannot adhere cohesively together. Cultured oysters can produce pearls, but the process is more involved than simply ...