• Diamonds
  • Gemstones
  • Jewellery
  • Famous Jewels
  • Latest
  • Instagram
Diamond Buzz Logo
Pearl Farming And Harvesting
Gemstones

Pearl Farming and Harvesting

While most gemstones are formed in the earth’s crust, pearls are formed within the soft tissue of living beings. That means they are not mined the same way the other gemstones are. Understanding the pearl farming and harvesting process answers many questions, so let’s go into the details.

History of Pearl Harvesting

Pearl Farming And Harvesting | Diamond Buzz
Image: Ayala_Studio / Canva

Known as the “Queen of Gems”, pearls have been coveted for centuries, long before written history. It is believed that they were discovered by people searching for food along the seashore.

Pearls were presented as gifts to royalty and were considered the ultimate status symbol. They have been an important trade commodity since Roman times, and the discovery of pearls in Central and South America in the 15th and 16th centuries led to the “Pearl Age”. However, by the 19th century, the demand for pearls was so high that natural pearl supplies were almost depleted. That is why, in the early 20th century, people developed ways to culture both seawater and freshwater pearls, first in China and Japan, then all around the world.

Before the development of the pearl farming and harvesting process, the only way of collecting pearls was through divers risking their lives at depths of 20 – 30 meters to retrieve the pearl oysters. They would pre-open the shells, look for the gems and throw the oyster back into the water. The chances of success were limited, as a ton of oysters would give only a couple of quality pearls. Freshwater pearl harvesting was easier; however, these pearl beds were usually reserved by royalty.

In the 1880s, Mikimoto Kōkichi as the chairman of the Shima Marine Products Improvement Association began to search for an alternative method to produce pearls. In 1893, after many failures and near bankruptcy, Mikimoto was able to create the first cultured pearls by seeding the oyster with a small piece of mother of pearl. Despite this major discovery, there were initial difficulties in selling these gems due to public confusion, and it was not until 1916 that the cultured pearl industry began to expand rapidly.

How Are Pearls Harvested?

Anatomy Of Pearl Oyster | Diamond Buzz
Oyster image: Comstock / Canva. A derivative work by Diamond Buzz.

Nowadays, pearls are cultivated around the world. They develop under controlled conditions in both saltwater and freshwater by inserting a microscopic irritant into the mollusc. Farmers keep the oysters in sheltered bays with nutrient-rich waters where the molluscs feed and grow, coating the irritants with layers of nacre and creating pearls.

It takes between six months and four years for a pearl to form, and the farmers have to take utmost care of oysters during the whole period. They feed the oysters, check for organisms that may interfere with their feeding, treat their shells with medicines to prevent parasites and ensure that water conditions are optimal for the development of gems.

When the pearls are ready to be harvested, the oysters are sent to harvesting facilities. Harvesters carefully open the molluscs and remove the pearls using special instruments. This is an extremely delicate process and requires gentle hands not to damage the gems during the harvesting.

It is worth mentioning that most oysters are killed in the harvesting process. However, the oysters that produce the best-quality pearls may be re-nucleated. Farmers insert a new nucleus and grow another pearl inside of the same mollusc, as pearls grown by older oysters have a higher quality and are usually larger than first-generation gems.

Once the harvesting is complete, the pearls are subjected to cleaning. This includes soaking them in a cleaning solution to remove dirt and odours. If required, pearls are getting bleached and polished. Then gems are matched by pouring them into large sieves that separate pearls based on their size. Further, pearls are graded and categorized according to their quality factors.

Do Oysters Feel Pain?

To answer this question, we need to set aside moral and philosophical arguments for a moment and discuss what pain is and how oysters might process it.

Oysters do not have a central nervous system. Instead, they have two ganglia that serve the “stimuli response” function of oysters, which is built more for reflex than reflection. For example, if a doctor taps your knee with a small hammer, you first jerk your leg –  that is a reflex. Then your brain understands that you feel the pain that the hammer caused – that is a reflection.

Oysters do not seem to be able to process the second behaviour. Instead, they react to environmental changes, but this has nothing to do with pain.

Featured image: Yvdavyd / Canva

Post navigation

Diamond vs Cubic Zirconia
How Important Is Diamond Clarity?

Newsletter

By entering your email address, you consent to receive our latest articles. You may withdraw your consent at any time. Please read our Privacy Policy for more details.

Thank you for signing up. To complete your subscription, please check your email inbox and follow the instructions.

  • Instagram
  • Contact
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Sponsorship Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2018 - 2022 Diamond Buzz. All rights reserved.

We use cookies on our website to personalise your user experience and analyse our website traffic. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of all the cookies.

Learn more Settings Accept All

Cookie Settings

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are essential for the website to function properly. This category includes cookies that ensure the basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website, which help in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information on how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected includes the number of visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visited in an anonymous form.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analysed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThis cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearNo description
wccpprocookiepastNo description
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo