How Do They Do It?

The show investigates the methods employed to grow the nation’s only freshwater pearls in Tennessee, detailing the environment and care required. It also provides a look at the forging process that creates the world’s sharpest knives, highlighting the skill and precision involved.

Pearls/Knives is a programme presented as an episode‑style feature. It falls under the broader category of television programmes and is billed simply as an episode, with no further classification provided beyond its title. The episode turns its attention to two distinct crafts. First, it asks how the United States’ sole source of freshwater pearls is cultivated in Tennessee, tracing the steps taken to grow these rare gems. It then shifts focus to the creation of the world’s sharpest knives, showing how they are forged to achieve their extreme edge. By placing pearl farming alongside knife making, the programme highlights the meticulous skill required in both endeavours. Viewers see the careful nurturing of an organic product in a Southern setting contrasted with the high‑precision metalwork needed to produce a cutting instrument of unrivalled sharpness. Overall, the episode offers a side‑by‑side look at two specialised industries, giving insight into the methods that allow Tennessee to supply America’s only freshwater pearls while also revealing the techniques behind the sharpest blades on the market.