In keeping with the theme of our trip, SB met another furry friend at the pearl farm. The farm was a tourist trap but nonetheless informative. We learned about pearl cultivation and viewed a demonstration of culturing. This particular farm harvests three of the major sea water pearls: Akoya, South Sea, and Tahitian pearls.
The "starter" oysters that have been implanted with seed pearls are placed in the water with hundreds of small fish, we guessed because the fish would keep them clean and improve viability.
Several women were hard at work planting seed pearls into the mollusks. A small piece of donor tissue, dyed red with fungicidal liquid, is wrapped around the seed pearl to form the base of the new pearl. The oyster will produce layers of nacre around this base to create the finished pearl. The oyster shell can only be pried open 2 to 3 cm to insert the seed pearl so a gentle touch is practically a job requirement for the workers. Once the mollusk is cracked open, tiny incisions are made to the "ovary" and the seed pearl base is inserted. The oyster is then shut and placed in a flat mesh cage, and dropped into the bay to feed and grow.
From time to time, the cage is removed to clean any barnacles, growths, or parasites. Even with monitoring and cleaning, only about half of the "nucleated" oysters bear pearls, and only a small fraction, around 5 percent, will produce high grade pearls. Pearls that develop odd shapes or blemishes are sold to be ground for applications such as make-up (pearly, luminescent foundations and powders).
We were not shown the process for treating the pearls after harvesting. I found out that they are often mixed with walnut shells or natural oils to gently polish them. Then the next step is to painstakingly sort and match pearls of similar color and luster for necklaces; this process can take months to find the perfect set. Pearls have recently undertaken the diamond treatment in terms of grading, and you can choose them by shape, color, luster, smoothness, and size.
We saw some outstanding pearl jewelry for purchase, ranging from dainty earrings to outrageously large necklaces. The prices were reasonable but our group didn't bite. Another group of Americans flocked to the high end counter and I saw a man buying a marble sized necklace for his wife. He made several people very happy that day.
Oyster cages in the bay
Fish for cleaning (and likely food)
Sleep with one ear open
Akoya oysters
South Sea oysters
Tahitian oysters
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