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Pearl Farming around The World

Pearl farming for new livelihoods in the
Solomon Islands and the Pacific

Pearls have fascinated humankind for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence indicates that almost 6,000 years ago in the Persian Gulf region, people were often buried with a pierced pearl resting in the right hand.

As products of living animals, pearls are unique among gems. In size, shape and color, they exist in an amazing variety of forms -- far more than just small, round and white. The global market for pearl jewelry is worth US $1.5 billion, a quarter of which is in black pearls.

The black pearl comes from the black-lipped oyster, Pinctada margaritifera, which is found in many areas in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Unlike their names, black pearls are rarely fully black. Their thick layer of nacre is usually a mix of hues, and just how desirable they are depends on colors achieved. The most desirable are peacock green, aubergine purple, ocean blue, various grays and iridescent colors.

WorldFish has initiated a program to culture high-quality black pearls in a sustainable manner in the Solomon Islands in collaboration with the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research and the island's government. more

The project has been a great success more

Pearl farming returns to Myanmar

Report From Zhanjiang

Zhanjiang is actually one of China's most important pearl production centers. Its output of Akoya cultured pearls makes up two thirds of the country's total saltwater production. So we set out on a trip to one their farms. Being surrounded by sea on three sides, Zhanjiang is blessed with rich marine resources. It has more than 30 island; the total length of coastline is some 1,500 kilometers. Zhanjiang is situated to the south of the Tropic of Cancer and is typical of a tropical climate map

We have always traveled the world in search of the finest pearls for you, our customers. Some trips are quite enjoyable and some are not. As Chinese akoya production has increased and the quality has improved, we decided to inspect the farms of some of the farmers we have been working with in Hong Kong. Combine an offshore typhoon with a challenging combination of planes, boats, and automobiles and you have an experience that will never be forgotten. We look forward to returning (like child birth--I guess). more

Mexican Pearling

Pearls were the New World's biggest export, until the full development of gold and silver mines in Mexico and Peru. As a matter of fact, the value of the pearls exported to Spain exceeded that of all other exports combined. In Europe, the Americas became known as "the lands where pearls come hither". One of the most famous pearls found in the Americas was "La Peregrina (The Wanderer)". Particularly noted for its beauty and dark-gray color, "La Peregrina" has the size and shape of a pigeon's egg.

Mexican pearls are born out of two native Pearl Oyster species: the "Panamic Black-Lipped Pearl Oyster" (Pinctada mazatlanica) and the "Rainbow-Lipped Pearl Oyster" (Pteria sterna). Both organisms are very able at producing pearls in a wide array of colors: from an opalescent white, golden-bronze, grays, greens and blues, pinkish-violet, and all the way to jet black. The fame of Mexican pearls increased even further when an important development took place in the Island of "Espíritu Santo" (near the City of La Paz), in the southern part of Lower California. This development took form as a company founded by Medical Doctor Gastón Vivès, who started the world's first commercial pearl oyster culture farm, this back in the year of 1903. This took place several decades before the Japanese where even dreaming of culturing pearls.

Mexico lost the great opportunity of becoming the leading country in the culture of naturally colored (black) pearls. The factors involved in this were many, but bad government practices and decisions were decisive. It was back in the decade of the sixties when a pilot pearl culture station was started in the Falsa Bay, South Baja California, with the help of Australian Pearl Promoter: C. Denis George.

The estimated yearly production of cultured pearls for this pearl farm will be of about 10,000 pearls per year starting by the year 2002. This makes Mexican pearls the rarest in the World... Full story

Pearl Farming in the USA

Pearl farming in USA

Native Americans of the Atlantic Coastal areas and the Mississippi River Basin were the first to collect and use U.S. freshwater mussel pearls and shells. Pearl pendants and ear pendants were worn by both sexes and both pearl and shell were used for decorative purposes on articles of clothing. Some of the tribes used pearls as tributes, reportedly Powhattan (Pocahontas' father) had large stores of pearls received as tribute. Additionally, armlets, pendants, and gaming pieces were made from mussel shell.

Zhuji

Zhejiang Province

In Zhuji and surrounding areas, pearl farms, or pearl paddies, are scattered among other agricultural enterprises along the highways and in urban backyards, pools of brown muddy water, 1-1.5 meters deep, marked by float lines festooned with green plastic soda bottles or irregular chunks of Styrofoam. Larger farms have all their necessary buildings perched along the paddy dikes, including the farmer's homes, thatch-roofed nucleation sheds, and hatcheries.

Dear Peter --

You may recall meeting at Vegas 2004. I was going through the stacks of business cards from that show and I spotted some writing on the back of your card that indicated you wanted a PDF file of my gemstone (pearl) adventure story to China. If good things come to those who wait, then the attached PDF file should be a good thing indeed.

Paul E. Holewa
Managing Editor, Instore Magazine This is a nice story

Bahrain

Persian Gulf Pearls
Natural pearls, also called ‘Oriental pearls’.

For centuries, Bahrain was the world’s main marketplace for natural pearls, and up until the 1930's the pearling industry was Bahrain’s main source of income. Because the country is an archipelago, Bahrain is surrounded by oyster banks and once ran half the pearl fishing fleets in the Gulf. More

The pearls of the Persian Gulf were naturally created and collected by breath-holding divers. The secret to the special luster of Gulf pearls probably derived from the unique mixture of sweet and salt water around the island. Unfortunately, the natural pearl industry of the Persian Gulf ended abruptly in the early 1930's with the discovery of large deposits of oil.(8) Those who once dove for pearls sought prosperity in the economic boom ushered in by the oil industry. The water pollution resulting from spilled oil and indiscriminate over-fishing of oysters essentially ruined the once pristine pearl producing waters of the Gulf. Today, pearl diving is practiced only as a hobby. More

Hyderabad

The Pearl City Of India

The city of Hyderabad is famous for its minarets and its pearl bazaar. Hyderabad was a princely state and a very rich one too! The royal patronage ensured flourishing of arts, crafts and cuisine. The affluent lifestyle beckoned many a craftsman from distant parts of the world, especially the Arabian Gulf where the rare original pearls are found in abundance. Hence, Hyderabad became the one-stop-destination for pearls. There is an entire street which only comprises of pearl shops named - Patther Gatti. more

Akoya Pearls and Black Tahitian Pearls farmed in Australia

Australia has been known for its production of white South Sea pearls but there have been initiatives to produce the traditional Japanese Akoya and the Tahitian Pinctada margaritifera Black Pearl.

Akoya

While the Australian pearl industry is based on the silver lip pearl oyster Pinctada maxima, there is increasing interest in pearl production from other species. One such species is the Akoya pearl oyster, Pinctada imbricata, which is abundant in Australian waters.

In July 1998, researchers at NSW Fisheries, Port Stephens Research Centre began investigations into the possibility of establishing a pearl industry in Port Stephens, an industry based on the Akoya pearl oyster, Pinctada imbricata.

Abrolhos Black Magic

Several species of pearl oysters are found in Australian waters. The main pearling industry is based on the silver lipped pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima), which produces high quality cultured pearls known as South Sea pearls. Map - Abrolhos

This species is found across the central Indo-Pacific region from India to New Guinea and the Philippines, and in Australia from Carnarvon on the west coast to south of Cairns on the east coast.

Other species farmed on a much smaller scale include the black-lipped pearl oyster (P. margaritifera), the shark bay pearl oyster (Pinctada albina), the Winged Oyster (Pteria penguin), and the Akoya pearl oyster (Pinctada imbricata).

The color of Abrolhos pearls is quite different from that of the Tahitian black pearls and may prove to be a useful marketing tool More

Pearl Farming in Papua New Guinea

Apart from the more common freshwater aquaculture, Papua New Guinea also boasts of at least one

pearl oyster farm. There are three farms proposed to be based in Milne Bay, Western and

New Ireland Provinces. Of the three, only the Milne Bay farm has been in full

commercial operation since 1998.

Early Papua New Guinea

Pearl history

Vietnam

The Socialistic Republic of Vietnam stretches over a total length of 1,600 kilometers along the eastern coast of Lower India and borders on the South China Sea. The northern part of which is named the Gulf of Tongking. In the north, the country is only 600 kilometers wide and borders on China, while on the western border are Laos and Cambodia, which Vietnam had occupied during the nineteen seventies.

Vietnam

Foreigner’s passion for pearl on Con Dao Island

The ex-soldier’s ‘state secret’ of black pearls

Mr. Tran Doan Thien

A retired army officer in southern Vietnam is harboring what he called a “state secret,” a method to produce black pearls from freshwater oysters. Once thought only possible in marine oysters.

Sudan

Cultured Pearls from the Red Sea.

A new product with excellent characteristics, Red sea cultured pearls

A sad story of great potential lost.

Die Abbildung zeigt den Landungssteg der kleinen Insel im roten Meer.

We inquired as to the current state of their operations and received this response:

..... good to make contact. I worked for about 7 years in the Sudan, firstly for FAO of United Nations and later for the Sudanese Government, principally continuing the excellent research work on pearl oysters done by a remarkable English scientist, Dr Cyril Crossland, from 1905 to 1922. This involved the collection of spat and rearing of the local pearl oyster species, a black-lip pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera var. erythraensis. Although the same species as the Tahitian oyster, the Red Sea variety is mostly whitish in colour and is capable of producing white pearls from 8 to about 12 mm diameter - a very good niche in the South Sea pearl market. The area where I worked - Dongonab Bay - is an excellent place to collect the spat and rear the species. Unfortunately there too many problems in doing business in the Sudan, mostly political, but also lack of education, sharia law, rampant corruption, dishonesty and just the lack of ambition of most of the inhabitants. About ten years ago, I attempted to establish a commercial pearl farm there, but this unfortunately cost me and a number of other investors quite a lot of money before we abandoned the project and counted our losses. Autore Australia was not involved although Nino Autore, brother of Rosario, was one of the investors. To the best of my knowledge nobody has continued the scheme and I doubt that anybody will succeed there in the forseeable future. Also the technology of rearing pearl oysters has improved a great deal and hatchery technology is now fairly well understood which makes the ability to collect spat not such an advantage. I regret, Terry, that I am not able to be more helpful nor optimistic. .......... best wishes ..... Bill

More

Taha'a Pearl farm Taha'a Island

An up close look at pearl nucleation

Rangiroa

Here is a world where 240 tiny islets, or motu, each no more than three feet in elevation, lay upon the ocean for more than 110 miles completely encircling an infinitely deep lagoon. Home to Gauguin's Pearl farm one of French Polynesia's largest
more

Cook Islands

Rarotonga

Rarotonga - The 'down south' island

SINCE RAROTONGA is the youngest island in the Cook Islands southern group it is physically unlike its other volcanic neighbors where erosion and periodic submersions have reduced mountains to gentle hills. Rarotonga's central massif is the eroded remains of a once mighty volcanic pyramid whose crags now form sawtooth peaks and razorback ridges covered with tropical jungle. These are separated by streams running down steep valleys.The island stands 14,750 feet (4500m) above the ocean floor. It is 20 miles (32k) in circumference. At a depth of 13,000 feet (4000m) the volcano is some 31 miles (50k) in diameter. The highest peak is 2140 feet (658m) above sea level and the island is surrounded by a lagoon which extends several hundred yards to the reef which then slopes steeply to deep water.
Around the central mountainous area of this beautiful island is a narrow band of agricultural terraces and flats which, in turn, is encircled by a ring of swamps used largely for growing taro.

Manihiki

Known as the Island of Pearls

Pearls from Africa

More often than not, aquaculture is on the wrong side of commentary relating to the environment and conservation. However, collaborative research in Tanzania by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Australia’s James Cook University (JCU), in association with Mafia Island Marine Park (MIMP),
has shown that not only are some forms of aquaculture compatible with conservation efforts, but aquaculture may provide an important component of the
management plan for marine protected areas. Small scale production of the first cultured pearls from East Africa offers opportunities for income generation
for coastal communities in Tanzania and may provide an important part of the management process for sustainable use of coastal ecosystem.

Australians have always been known for their pioneering spirit.

Now, a handful of Aussie entrepreneurs are competing with Japan and China to produce the world’s largest, most beautiful Akoya pearls.

2006 Status of the pearl culture industry

5th SPC Heads of Fisheries Meeting
(3-7th April 2006 Noumea, New Caledonia,)

Pearl Farm

Penrhyn, northern Cook Islands

an interesting report

Cultured Pearls*
Update on Global Supply, Demand and
Distribution

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