It has been said that somewhere in the 1900's, Kokichi Mikimoto grew a pearl successfully. And now, pearl farms are growing in number with the increase in the demand of pearls. Pearls can be cultivated in to these forms- Nucleated Cultivation and Non-Nucleated Cultivation also called as saltwater and freshwater pearls. While freshwater pearls are cultivated in China, saltwater pearls are predominantly found in Australia.
Saltwater pearls are cultured through the following steps. First the young oysters are collected from wild as till now there is no arrangement of conception of oysters on farms yet (with respect to Australia). These oysters are then transported in holding tanks with the aid of booms. On the ship only, the oysters are cleaned, counted, weighed and then placed in nylon net. Later they are shifted to a saltwater tank.
After some time, these oysters are opened by specialized technicians and their nucleus is inserted with a mantle piece from another oyster. This process is also known as seeding and after its completion they are returned to the nylon panels. These are then transported to farming bases usually found in high tide regions. Then the shells are balanced from culture systems and are taken care by farmers who are experts in husbandry. Usually in the months of June and September, these pearls are harvested from the oysters and collected and sorted as per their shape and size. The oysters are seeded again for a new cycle. The oldest oysters tend to produce biggest pearls as their nuclei grow. Also, a healthy oyster can be seeded up to 4 times.
The farming of freshwater pearls is almost similar but follows the following differences:-
- Unlike saltwater pearls, these are cultivated in mussels.
- Freshwater pearls are not farmed in Australia but China and Japan.
- During the seeding process, only mantle tissue is placed in to the mussel.
- The frequency of production of these mussels is more then saltwater ones, as they can undergo ten cycles.
- The harvest period is a little shorter.
