Gold South Sea Pearls
MERGUI, MYANMAR
Naturally Golden South Sea pearls are considered some of the rarest of pearls, only able to grow in the most pristine marine habitats. Therefore, we sought out and partnered with a pearl farming venture located on the remote island of Shwe Kyun in southern Myanmar.
The emerald green shallows that surround Myanmars Mergui islands are legendary for producing Gold South Sea pearls, grown by the "Gold Lipped" Pinctada Maxima oyster.
This variant of the Pinctada Maxima oyster takes over two years to grow pearls that are naturally gold, a feat that no other oyster can naturally accomplish making them inherently rare and highly sought after.
The naturally gold colors of the Golden South Sea pearls are some of the most sought after pearl types in existence. It is only in the most pollution free, marine environments that fine quality golden pearls can be produced.
Here, the untouched seascape is home to an abundance of coral, which helps sustain the marine ecosystem that his home to this distinct variant of the South Sea oyster.
In these remote locales, pearl farms provides employment opportunities while ensuring that hundreds of hectares of sea are actively protected from industrial development. In fact, pearl farming is one of the few businesses allowed in natural reserve, due to the extremely low environmental impact they cause.
Golden pearl farming in the Mergui also connects indigenous sea gypsies known as the Moken, as their knowledge of the sea and expert diving skills allow them to seek out the wild gold-lipped oyster shells that are required for sustainable pearl oyster hatcheries.
Only a few wild oyster are required to for a hatchery to spawn thousands of farm raised oysters - sustaining the need of the pearl farm while ensuring that local wild oyster stocks are protected from overfishing.