A day in Paradise exploring a South Sea pearl farm. Where giant dragons roam, fish drift between pink coral and pearls are gently nurtured by the tides.
Updated: Jun 12
June is pearl month and what better way to celebrate one of my favourite gems, than to explore an operating South Sea pearl farm and the wonders of how a single South Sea pearl is produced.
Last week I visited the remote Pungu Island pearl farm operated by Atlas Pearls, located in Flores Indonesia; a short hop, skip and a plane ride from Bali Indonesia. Or a 20min boat ride from the main port of Labuan Bajo, known as the gateway to Komodo Dragons and incredible coral dive locations.
About Atlas Pearls
Atlas Pearls operates 8 pearl farms throughout the Indonesian archipelago in remote, pristine waters. Specialising in producing white South Sea pearls, regarded as the epitome of pearl varieties for their superior natural qualities of size, colour, shape, lustre and surface.
Atlas pride themselves on being a world leader in non-extractive and sustainable farming, making them one of the pioneers of positive luxury, and after a visit to their farms its easy to see how their pearls make more than just a superficial impact.
Delving into the pearl farm experience
Departing from the main port of Labuan Bajo and arriving at Pungu Island by boat, we pass rows and rows of lines in the crystal-clear waters suspending hundreds of oysters, before landing at the Island jetty.
Once on the Island we were welcomed to a small but beautifully appointed showroom by Atlas Staff who gave a us a presentation on Atlas Pearls’ South Sea pearling operations and the 4-year process to produce a single South Sea pearl (more on this later). At the end of the presentation and harvest demonstration, guests can view and try on a range of Atlas pearls, a true ability to purchase these beautiful natural gems direct form the source.
A pearl’s journey
For hundreds of years pearls have been revered for their superior natural size, colour and lustre however over hunting wild oysters in the 18th and 19th centuries meant the mollusks were almost hunted to extinction in the search for the perfect pearls. By adopting non-extractive processes and growing their own oysters, Atlas Pearls ensure that wild oyster populations are not affected by their farms.
South Sea pearls are produced by the Pinctada Maxima Oyster, the largest pearl producing oyster in the world and a highly sensitive filter feeder. They require pristine natural environments to flourish and regular cleaning and protection to ensure the oysters remain healthy and happy. A single south sea pearl represents an investment of time, nurturing and environment.
The journey to create a single South Sea pearl begins at least 4 years earlier when the pearling process begins.
It takes 2 years for a single Pinctada Maxima oyster to grow; from spawning, through spat phase before growing into an oyster big enough to seeded. The seeding process is treated as a sterile surgical operation where a single nucleus is inserted into the oyster, acting as an irritant. This causes a natural process where the oyster covers the irritant in a think luminous substance called nacre which smooths and rounds the irritant presumably making the oyster more comfortable. In nature, pearls are often formed by an irritant such as a scale, parasite or other debris which gets into the Oyster.
Over time the layers of nacre build and hardens resulting in a think luminous coating and a single South Sea pearl is produced. Only after 2 years, a single pearl is harvested from the oyster in another surgical process. The pearls are pristine in their natural form requiring no treatment, dyes or polishing. If the oyster is healthy and viable it can be re-seeded with another nuclei to produce a pearl over the next 2 years.
Nothing is wasted in the pearling process, at the end of its pearl producing lifespan an oyster is cleaned and harvested for its highly desirable pearl meat, considered a delicacy, and the shells are polished to be used for any number of decorative uses as Mother of Pearl.
Sustainability and community Impact
It takes a huge number of staff to run a pearl farm, many coming from local villages to live and work on the Island and there is a real sense of community amongst the staff.
The Atlas Pearls staff working together to not only maintain the pearl farm operations but also provide rehabilitation to the island. Mangrove rehabilitation has been an ongoing project on Pungu Island to replenish natural vegetation which has been destroyed by animals and human intervention. Over the past 6 years the Mangrove rehabilitation project has seen vegetation flourish, providing not just an improved marine environment but shade and respite from the hot tropical environment.
The mangrove rehabilitation program is just one of the multiple local impact programs run by Atlas Pearls throughout every touch point of their business. Given the remote locations where access to education, healthcare and support is limited, Atlas Pearl farms provide much needed jobs and support for the local communities. Each farm location has its own unique environmental challenges and programs to help educate and support local communities to not just maintain but improve the local environment – pyrolysis machines that turn plastic waste into fuel, reducing fuel consumption, collaborating with local turtle protection hatcheries, providing toothbrushes and books for children or even support housing for families in need – positive environmental and social impact processes have been running through every touch point of the Atlas Pearls business for over a decade.
Positive Luxury
Over the last few decades, the Luxury industry has seen a number of wild changes. From a marker of social stratification, globalisation, mass consumerism, the covid pandemic, online platforms and more recently the move towards quiet luxury. There has been a tumultuous ride for Luxury brands to ensure they continue to provide the overall feeling of self-worth to their consumers.
As luxury consumers worldwide begin to think more critically about how they choose to purchase luxury goods there is a loud and profound move towards sustainable or positive luxury. With Luxury goods now accessible to most people the real defining difference is how they make people feel and what they represent.
A single Atlas Pearl is truly beautiful in its natural form, however it also represents a positive and glowing embodiment of both the environment and the communities in which it has come from. A four year process of nurturing not just the oyster that produced it but also the environment and many hands it has passed through to get here is a special provenance that not many items in this world can possess. For this reason the story of an Atlas Pearl is something truly unique and a symbol of positive luxury.
Whilst not all farms are accessible to tourism or guests to visit, I would encourage anyone visiting the Flores, North Bali or Alyui regions to add an Atlas Pearls farm visit to their itineraries. It is hard to leave the experience without feeling a profound connection to nature and the community surrounding it.
To find out more visit https://www.atlaspearls.com.au/pages/visit-a-pearl-farm
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