The oysters are harvested wild from coral reefs and are also commonly grown in aquaculture, both primarily taking place in the Indo-Pacific region.

Pinctada margaritifera occupies a wide range throughout the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Sudan, Papua New Guinea, Australia, French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Indonesia, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Southwestern part of the Indian Ocean, Japan and the Pacific Ocean, and various locations on the coast of India.

Other species, including sponges, hydroids, polychaetes, lamellibranchs, amphipods, decapods, echinoderms, and fishes, usually have close relationships with pearl oyster beds.

Bivalves are able to flush sand from their bodies extremely effectively, and studies of pearl nuclei have shown that the overwhelming majority form from parasitic incursion, other organic irritants, or even tissue damage.

Rocky, gravelly bottoms and low silt concentrations are preferable, and currents are necessary to keep the water clean with fresh phytoplankton and removal of fecal matter.