By Elise Plunk
Louisiana Illuminator
Not all jewels have the deep green features of emeralds or sparkle of diamonds. Some tumble from algae-coated cages in a rush of rock and shell, briny water splashing alongside them onto the deck of a boat.
These fine commodities are oysters, grown and harvested just off Louisiana’s coastline in a different way than the traditional seafloor beds that have been farmed for generations.