Skip to content

Cutting-edge science and 19th-century Japanese trade secrets behind groundbreaking WA pearl hatchery

After nearly 60 years, one of Australia’s oldest pearl farms is celebrating its first harvest involving a combination of 19th-century Japanese trade secrets and modern-day science.

Cygnet Bay Pearls is one of the country’s oldest pearl farms owned by the Brown family for three generations, the first Australians to successfully harvest a cultured pearl.

Up until this moment no pearl farm in the world had ever been started without Japanese involvement.

Now these pearling pioneers are celebrating another historic milestone at the farm, located 200km north of Broome, with the first ever harvest from shells bred in their hatchery.

It is a huge turning point for the industry after a mystery disease wiped out huge numbers wild stocks of the Pinctada Maxima pearl shells which were once abundant in the region.

Read More…

Source: ABC Rural, Courtney Fowler

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *