Pearling has a long history. But when pearl-folk talk pearl, the discussion usually leans toward the world’s major producers of cultured pearls; Japan, China, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia and French Polynesia. There is no arguing that these are the primary production hubs of the industry. But when one considers the long history of pearling, few of them have much importance as told by Kunz and Stevenson. The most important locations are those many bodies of water that stretch between Saudi Arabia and Thailand; the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and all different parts of the Indian Ocean.So why have none of these historically important natural pearling area become an epicenter of pearl production?
Well India has tried. It has tried over and over again. India is rich with Pinctada fucata in the famous pearl beds of the Gulf of Mannar and Pinctada mararitifera in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. But the pearling efforts of India have had little success. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute of Kerala helped set up an operation in the past 15 years for the locals. They’ve successfully grown akoya. But the production is so small the pearls never hit the market. Ajai Kumar Sonkar is reported to have some success in the Andamans, but who has really heard an update since pearls ’94?
I think India has just not tried hard enough. Plans are made, hopes are high, but the infrastructure and support is just not there. India needs a shot of Dubai’s nationalistic pearl fervor to make this potentially profitable enterprise a reality.
In the Indian municipality of Silchar, a pearl farming plan has been in the works for the last few years. The administration did its research. There is local demand for pearls and pearls are all imported. Pearls are important to the locals for astrological reasons, and many prefer pearls over precious metals. According the a story from Telegraph India, the plan appeared flawless. That is, until it reached Dispur. According to Sudip Dutta, the vice-chairman of Silchar municipality, “the Assam government found no reason to accord any priority to the project.”
India strikes out once again.
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11 comments:
The Philippines have been one of the most important pearl fisheries in human history. Dating back long before Magellan set foot on one of our 7,107 islands.
In anciemt China they frequent The Philippines to barter their goods for our precious pearls which are known to be silvery or bluish white and the color never fades. As hard as titanium they considered our pearls the "most precious rarities".
Last week I got my first package from Bangladesh with tissue nucleated padparadshas. The biggest ones were close to 9mm and I had enough for a triple strand. Maybe I can get hubby to take a picture of them. They are by far not as soldierly uniform as the pearl establishment likes them, but by Tavernier standards, they rock big time.
The pearl farm in Bangladesh (Cittagong) is still in the experimental stage and state-owned. They pay advisors and financial backers like moi in pearls. They grow several different species, more or less everything they catch that has already a pearl forming in it has said pearl and pearl sac removed. The original natural pearl they send to me for being such a nice know-it-all and if the pearl in was pretty, the pearl sac is then cut up and used for tissue nucleation while the mussel gows into the hatchery for breeding. I recommended this approach as it has a 100% success rate and a high quality yield. One raft has started experimenting with bead nucleation but I don't want to have anything to do with that.
The padparadschas are estuary pearls, so to speak both in 6 hour intervals. The peachy satiny keshis are mabés and the psychedelic golden ones are pads.
My padparadshas are tissue nucleated cultured. They do not have a market yet so the getting is still good. They are not as perfect in shape as the Freshadamas but are completely raw and glowing with a color range that will make any person with working color vision reach for a drool bucket. They are also still cheap. At least relatively. I was thinking along the lines of US$1000 for the whole triple strand already knotted with 14k clasp and french wires. I first made it for myself, but then found it a touch overpowering since I am medium blonde. Anyhow, I'll see what I find in seriously unusual keshis although with those parameters, the match will not be very close.
I now own pearls from Bangladesh. The terms freshwater and saltwater are hard to assign as particularly the famous pearls of Chittagong are estuary pearls that are both. The most valuable ones are of "padparadscha" color meaning of orange body color with overtones of gold and pink they can run you a US$ 100,000.00 minimum for even a modest strand of not too cercléd pearls of medium luster between 8 and 10mm. The typical host shell is the pinctada radiata (also incorrectly referred to as pinctada imbricata) for the famous pink and padparadschas and the pinctada maxima for the whites. It may be a little known fact that there really are no saltwater pearls. All pearl producing scallops (oysters do not produce true pearls) are dependent on freshwater supply. That also applies to pearls of the Persian Gulf. Padparadscha pearls are enormously expensive and mostly sold on the Indian market.
Sincerely.
Wow. What a jump in price. First a triple strand of "pads" are worth $1000 dollars and four days later a single strand is worth $100,000 dollars. Zeidei, have you got a gemology diploma because I need to hire you.
What a load ZE- haven't you learned yet that your roses smell bad to others? Leave the fairy tales on PG- dead and buried where they belong. :)
...not just bad but positively fetid. That smell could shock the dead into rising.
Thanks for a very interesting article. As I am of Indian origin I am especially curious about all the reasons it may not be conducive. I was wondering if ecological conditions (heavy silt, heavy waves, bays with no shelter) make the farming really challenging?
Also, social challenges(are the local fishermen participating favourably, theft, etc).
The ecological conditions are not the reason. India is aptly suited for pearl farming. The problem as I see it is with the social challenges, primarily governmental.
By they way, I just heard the most ludicrous thing ever. The Chittagong farm has been supplying the Mikimouse with bead nucleated pads (pale pathetic thingies I would not want to have anything to do with) for just over two years now. The rodent only offers them in Japan and a 7.5-8mm strand goes for something like US$ 20,000.00 and the 9.5-10mm for 10 times as much (before VAT). The natural-color Mikimotos appear to be the dernier cri in Japan.
Z.E. said...
By they way, I just heard the most ludicrous thing ever. Oh and I just read the most ludicrous thing ever. It was written by Z.E..
hi,
Does Kerala have a favorable condition for pearl farming?
Also what are the acquatic-requisites for pearl farming?...
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