South Pacific & Asia

Got a guided tour of Rangiroa’s pearl farm! Super interesting stuff, much more goes into it than I thought. Tahitian pearls are known for their darkness and different colours (blue and green etc) which is from the specific species of oyster that lives here. But the whole technique they use was perfected by one Japanese guy Kokichi Mikimoto in the 1800s, and the tahitians have perfected getting the colours how they want (Japanese pearls are really only shades of white). They take the mantle (mother-of-pearl producing part) of an oyster that has the desired colours in its shell (which are also produced by the mantle), take many small slices of it and basically graft it to other oysters. Only three species of oysters have what’s called a “pearl pocket” where the pearls eventually end up. They put a nucleus (perfectly round, made of crushed up mother-of-pearl) to start the pearl inside the pocket of an oyster, with the grafted piece of the mantle of the other oyster selected for its colour with it. Then that piece of mantle creates the pearls inside the pocket. And they harvest it after 6months to 2years, and can put in a bigger nucleus for a bigger pearl for the next time. A certified technician removes the pearls and decides if that oyster is producing good enough ones to implant a new nucleus. The pearls are then graded on size, colour, shine and defects. Super interesting with a really nice and informative guide. Who knew there was so much to know about pearls farming!Read more