A must have book!The Pearl Oyster is a remarkable book published in 2008 by Elsevier. Publishing authors are Paul Southgate and John Lucas. However, other authors contributed to the information-rich 16 chapters (574 pages).
The book is pure science, a real book, to read with a lot of attention, not a coffee table book with glossy photos. However, for all pearl lovers, it’s a book offering tremendous amounts of fundamental information, far from all the numerous errors hawked from all the amateur works polluting the pearl-book market or pearl Websites.
After an introduction by Elisabeth Strack, a good summary of the pearl through civilisations and time, it starts with the biology of pearl oysters and their classifications. From the start, you feel in step with the authors Wada and Tempikin who reconsider the number of species and the note an inappropriate inflation in the number of species in the genera of Pteriidae. Morphology of the shell is not the ultimate criteria anymore. Local adaptation, variation and so on, are facts and are integrated into this paper.
Finally, pure zoology in a book related to pearls! Pinctada fucata, - martensii – radiata – imbricata are considered together, in one word: the akoya oyster. The following quote is crucial : “Taken together, these studies suggest that the akoya pearl oyster is a cosmopolitan, globally distributed species, characterized by substantial intra-specific variation, largely due to climate genetic differentiation and morphological plasticity.”
You will then discover all about oysters: their inner workings (anatomy), how the shell grows, how they feed and how they reproduce. Loads of questions are answered: their food, the climate influence, the effects of pollution and toxins and so on. In the chapter on pearl oyster culturing, you will discover all the hatchery methods; from collecting adults in the wild to spawning in controlled environments. The menu of the larvae is detailed and quite impressive - almost as long as a Chinese menu and often nearly as difficult to pronounce.
Of course, the most crucial chapter is the “Pearl Production” chapter, by Elisateth Strack and Joseph Taylor. Joseph is likely the most talented pearl farmer growing South Sea pearls today. He is an immense asset to Atlas pearl, and is mostly based in Bali. There, he experiments with techniques of controlling the quality of pearls through DNA studies and accordingly, a selection program. The most advanced technologies preparing the future of pearl farming are experimented with there, on the northern coast of Bali and in some of the other farms of Atlas Pearls in Papua New Guinea. It would be very difficult to find a better pair of authors to write on such a subject.
I also appreciated the chapter Disease and Predation. The life of an oyster is not a quiet life. Predation is a real factor sustaining large losses, both financially and biologically. The oysters are the life-sustaining prey of thousands of organisms that farmers must remove regularly. It is the biofouling, or settlement of plants and animal on oysters. It can be catastrophic, inducing mass mortality.
By the end of this book, the romantic ideas of pearl farmers spending their lives in swimming shorts, in a beautiful environment, taking out marvellous and valuable pearls, is destroyed forever. To be a pearl farmer, you are a biologist, a DNA specialist, and you are facing everyday environmental threats.
Finally, you have to be rich: being a pearl farmer today, means likely being bankrupt in quite a short time!
The Pearl Oyster, Paul Southgate and John Lucas, 99 USD on Amazon.com.
After an introduction by Elisabeth Strack, a good summary of the pearl through civilisations and time, it starts with the biology of pearl oysters and their classifications. From the start, you feel in step with the authors Wada and Tempikin who reconsider the number of species and the note an inappropriate inflation in the number of species in the genera of Pteriidae. Morphology of the shell is not the ultimate criteria anymore. Local adaptation, variation and so on, are facts and are integrated into this paper.
Finally, pure zoology in a book related to pearls! Pinctada fucata, - martensii – radiata – imbricata are considered together, in one word: the akoya oyster. The following quote is crucial : “Taken together, these studies suggest that the akoya pearl oyster is a cosmopolitan, globally distributed species, characterized by substantial intra-specific variation, largely due to climate genetic differentiation and morphological plasticity.”
You will then discover all about oysters: their inner workings (anatomy), how the shell grows, how they feed and how they reproduce. Loads of questions are answered: their food, the climate influence, the effects of pollution and toxins and so on. In the chapter on pearl oyster culturing, you will discover all the hatchery methods; from collecting adults in the wild to spawning in controlled environments. The menu of the larvae is detailed and quite impressive - almost as long as a Chinese menu and often nearly as difficult to pronounce.
Of course, the most crucial chapter is the “Pearl Production” chapter, by Elisateth Strack and Joseph Taylor. Joseph is likely the most talented pearl farmer growing South Sea pearls today. He is an immense asset to Atlas pearl, and is mostly based in Bali. There, he experiments with techniques of controlling the quality of pearls through DNA studies and accordingly, a selection program. The most advanced technologies preparing the future of pearl farming are experimented with there, on the northern coast of Bali and in some of the other farms of Atlas Pearls in Papua New Guinea. It would be very difficult to find a better pair of authors to write on such a subject.
I also appreciated the chapter Disease and Predation. The life of an oyster is not a quiet life. Predation is a real factor sustaining large losses, both financially and biologically. The oysters are the life-sustaining prey of thousands of organisms that farmers must remove regularly. It is the biofouling, or settlement of plants and animal on oysters. It can be catastrophic, inducing mass mortality.
By the end of this book, the romantic ideas of pearl farmers spending their lives in swimming shorts, in a beautiful environment, taking out marvellous and valuable pearls, is destroyed forever. To be a pearl farmer, you are a biologist, a DNA specialist, and you are facing everyday environmental threats.
Finally, you have to be rich: being a pearl farmer today, means likely being bankrupt in quite a short time!
The Pearl Oyster, Paul Southgate and John Lucas, 99 USD on Amazon.com.
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12 comments:
Thanks for the report. Ordering now!
I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, so much so, that I gave my copy to the GIA library and now have to order another one.
If I may, I would like to make one correction to the information on Atlas south sea pearl. Atlas pearl farms are only located in Indonesia to include Bali and Western Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) province of Indonesian, in the heart of Raja Ampat; and not in Papua New Guinea.
Great reporting, Professor! Ordered the book right away! Elisabeth Strack and Dr. Joseph Taylor, gee, what a reference! You are absolutely spot-on when you say that Joseph is likely the most talented pearl farmer growing South Sea Pearls today! He's got his finger on the pulse, and how! Thanks for the tip, much appreciated!
Dear Professor: I don't agree with you on the last paragraph...you don't have to be rich to be a pearl farmer BUT instead I would rephrase it to "don't expect to become rich if you are a pearl farmer!".
When we started as "Pearl Farmers" in 1993 what we wanted -above all- was to revive our precious pearl industry, and with it the lore and history associated with our regional Gem. Money was not the Ultimate goal (but, as they say: it sure helps in Life!). And this has been True up to this day: we have revived our pearl and have -slowly- brought back part of its rich cultural baggage..and we are definitively not rich (moneywise), but instead we are truly, deeply happy to do what we always wanted to do.
We are successful, and proud to be a part of the history of the Sea of Cortez Pearl. Money can wait...just like you have to wait for a pearl's true beauty to develop.
Douglas McLaurin
Pearl Farmer
Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.
If I could sell some pearls I'd be able to afford the book.
Very true, Douglas. Send me a post if you care to a behind-the-scenes account of your ops.
Hi Douglas,
This is great! Maybe we can get some more pearl farmers out of the woodwork and stimulate some debate. I have a few strands of pteria sterna and they are so psychedelic candy-colored that they are hard to mystake for anthing else.
May the Orm be with you,
Hildegunst von Mythenmetz
Z.
wtf is a hildegust von methmuncher?
I think he was an Optimus Yarnspinner who was also a worm. How fitting.
Joseph is a very talented marine biologist,farm manager and ceo for atlas pacific.He certainly is also a very prolific spawner and he takes his theory of Geographical diversity for Pinctada Maxima into his personal life as well.As Claire, joseph's ex wife will attest,Joseph has had many successful spawnings and has spat running around in quite a few different locations.Asked to comment on this Joseph was coy at first but then offered up this Pearl of Wisdom,"No one can Milk their Gonads like me ".
Tell Me again why I love this blog!
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